AN ORAL hearing to discuss objections to a planned casino venue in Tipperary is set to take place on March 8th.
The State planning appeals board, An Bord Pleanála, has decided to host the oral hearing to discuss the planned €460 million development near Thurles.
A final decision is expected to be made before next June.
If the business venture gets the go-ahead, it is expected to create 2,000 full-time jobs. A further 1,000 people will be employed during the three years of construction.
The planned 800-acre development will be known as the Tipperary Venue and the chief investor is Dublin-based businessman Richard Quirke.
A former garda from Thurles, he is best known in the gaming industry for his Dr Quirkey’s Good Time Emporium.
The ambitious project includes a racecourse featuring a national hunt track, sprint track and all-weather floodlit track.
A 500-room hotel is also planned to incorporate a casino and the centrepiece of the venue will be a replica of the White House in Washington, in homage to local man James Hoban, who designed the original building.
A golf course and greyhound track and a 15,000-seat entertainment venue are also planned.
The Tipperary Venue is also being backed by racehorse trainer Aidan O’Brien, concert promoter Denis Desmond and local Independent TD, Michael Lowry.
The oral hearing is to take place at the Horse and Jockey Hotel close to the town of Thurles.
* This article was amended on February 10th, 2011