The GAA are confident they will get the necessary planning permission to build a four-star hotel directly across from the Hogan Stand entrance to Croke Park. Plans for the new investment, which will take around 15 years to become cash positive to the association, were revealed in Croke Park yesterday but so far remain very much in the early stages.

What is certain is that the GAA intend on providing the 3.2 acre site and, subject to planning permission being granted, would then provide the investors with the necessary capital. When completed the hotel would then be leased to a branded operator for seven years, at which point the GAA would have the option of buying it back, or renewing the lease.

The financial investment from the GAA would be minimal beyond the application process, and according to stadium director Peter McKenna, there would be a significant long-term financial gain. Also central to the timing of the investment was the benefit of current tax allowances for the building of hotels, which expires at the end of the month.

"We had looked at a number of options in evaluating what was the best potential to put on the site," said McKenna. "Everything from housing to a multi-storey car park. But we very much settled on a hotel as being the best option."

The area itself is known as Collier's Kitchen, a small industrial estate off the Jones's Road and directly across from the main entrance to the Hogan Stand. A large part of the area is currently in a state of disrepair.

The entire site is 3.2 acres, and the hotel would take up two-thirds of the area. Most specifications have already been decided, with the hotel to be four-star quality, of bedroom-only style, and to total 225 bedrooms. A covered footbridge will cross between the hotel and Croke Park.

It will rise to five storeys, but tier down at the end to three stories, which will then be 70 metres from the nearest back garden to prevent any overshadowing or overlooking of houses in the area.

"We feel it fits very nicely within the footprint of the area there," added McKenna. "We will also have 220 car park spaces which will be part of the basement of the hotel. There will also be a bar and a restaurant, of medium capacity.

"But I think the most interesting part is the join with the stadium, not just physically but also psychologically, by way of a footbridge. It will come across straight to level five of the Hogan Stand, and that will definitely help maximise the use of stadium's conference rooms and other facilities. And that's a lot of the sort of business we would be attracting."

McKenna also highlighted the current lack of such high-quality hotels in the area: "Dublin is still one of the top five European destinations. The site is close to the city centre, and close to the airport. And we see a definite gap in the northside hotel supply. But the relationship with Croke Park is also key. It's a very strong brand, and there is huge number of advantages of being associated with the GAA."

With the tax incentives for building hotels expiring at the end of May, it means verified planning permission needs to be submitted before that date. The total cost has also been estimated at around €28 million. The planning process will then take some three months.

The GAA acquired the site over the past number of years, in different trenches, with a combined cost of around €7 million. The idea to use the site for a hotel, said McKenna, arose as part of the review of all GAA properties around the stadium.

"We only really got in behind the hotel idea in the last three or four weeks, when the tax incentive deadlines were extended from December gone, to the end of May. And if we get the planning permission, we hope to have an operator on board within four or five weeks. And it's a very exciting opportunity for anybody coming into the market.

"From a capital allowance perspective, the hotel would have to be finished by December 2004. So it would be a tight deadline. But we already have a number of individuals who are very interested, and our financial advisors don't see any difficulty in our ability to attract the all necessary investors."

Local residents have played a major part in the GAA's developments in the area to date, and received advanced notification of the plans at a specially convened meeting last Sunday night. A spokesperson for the Residence Allience said yesterday that is was "too early" to say what objections to the hotel might arise, and that further consultation and meetings were clearly necessary.

GAA president Seán Kelly also pointed out that the hotel plans won't interfere with plans to redevelop the Hill 16 area, which has already received planning permission: "That is something we hope to progress soon. It is going to cost us a lot of money, but the project committee under the chairmanship of Peter Quinn are of the opinion that we should start preparing for that."