£3.5m revamp for Harold's Cross greyhound track

Harold's Cross Greyhound stadium in Dublin is to be refurbished as part of a £3.5 million redevelopment plan. The move follows a similar revamp of Shelbourne Park, which has seen weekly attendances at the track more than double.

Bord na gCon has lodged a planning application with Dublin Corporation to refurbish and extend the grandstand, realign the greyhound track and install a hospitality suite, snack bars and dining areas. The completed facility will also include a new 184 space car-park. The project will be part funded by the development of 86 high quality houses on a 2.5-acre portion of the site. Planning permission is also being sought for this scheme, which will feature two-storey and dormer houses with access off Harold's Cross Road.

It is expected that the redevelopment programme could be completed by mid-summer next year. Mr Noel Hynes, managing director for Bord na gCon's Dublin facilities, said very little had been done with Harold's Cross over the past 20 years. He said the refurbishment programme would be similar to that at Shelbourne Park, where more than 4,000 people per week attend three race meetings. He said refurbishing Shelbourne Park had proved "dramatically successful" and it was probably the most used corporate facility in the country now. "We propose to repeat the exercise in Harold's Cross," he said.

The overall site at Harolds Cross is 11 acres and the 2.5-acre site for residential development will go to tender, once planning permission is received.