The contract outlining requirements to build at the old Highlands Paceway has been finalised, the Central Western Daily understands.

It may come before representative for the Greyhound, Breeders and Trainers Association (GBOTA) representatives within days.

As previously reported, the development was agreed to in principle last year but faced multiple legal and technical hurdles.

If the contract is agreed to and signed, a development application for the project will likely be lodged next.

Preliminary design plans for the "Centre of Excellence" included a restaurant, public all-weather sports fields, onsite function centre, mini golf, vet clinic, rehoming facilities, pet shop, and offices.

Estimated costs are about $15 million. The earliest timeline for completion is 2025.

The abandoned old trotters track off Bathurst Road was revealed as the preferred location in February, last year.

A block adjacent to Orange Airport, the former sports precinct on the Northern Distributor and Towac Park were also explored.

"The priority will be the track itself and being the safest and best designed in the world. It will be built with the latest technology in regards to safety and welfare," then-CEO of GBOTA Allan Hilzinger told the CWD in March.

Concerns over ethics of dog racing, fairness of taking the track from Bathurst, and suitability of the trotting track - which has been previously earmarked for dirt bike riding - have been flagged.

"It's a dying industry, literally," former councillor Neil Jones told the CWD prior to the vote.

"This talk of a 'Centre of Excellence' is nonsense. It'll be a 'Centre of Excellence' for gambling and animal suffering .... That's the reality of the industry. It's awful, and we shouldn't be part of it."