GAELIC GAMES/Croke Park redevelopment: The financial future of Croke Park will be mapped out in the next two weeks. The GAA will be considering its agenda for the coming year in the light of losing €38 million of Government funding for the redevelopment of the stadium.

This substantial shortfall is likely to made up by slowing down the development of the northern end (precisely how has still to be determined), and extending the period of debt by at least five years. Further revenue is guaranteed in 2005 and 2010 when corporate seats come up for resale.

The only definite plans for the coming year are for the demolition of the Nally Stand, the oldest remaining structure of the old stadium (Hill 16 was rebuilt in 1988).

"Decisions will be made in the next couple of weeks about how to deal with the changed circumstances," according to stadium director Peter McKenna.

"Many different scenarios can be played out, but a decision has to be made on the best balance between spending on the development and in other areas."

The deliberations will focus on the rebuilding of the northern end of the ground, which is the remaining Phase Four of the redevelopment. At present the future of the Hill 16 terrace is in the hands of An Bord Pleanála, having been appealed from the Dublin City council decision to allow the terrace to remain.

This will be the GAA's second trip to the planning appeals body in respect of the Hill, as the original permission to maintain the terrace was overturned by the board, despite an inspector's report giving it the all-clear and the findings of the Government's Code of Practice for Safety at Sports Grounds, which deemed terraces safe for spectator accommodation.

"I think they were different times," says McKenna, "and influenced by major stadium issues like Hillsborough and Heysel. But it was still overlooked that the terracing at Croke Park is the smallest of any GAA ground and that despite the huge proportion of terracing in other grounds there had been no incidents.

"We've put an awful lot of work into ironing out potential areas of concern. It's a different design and has taken a lot of the latest best practice into account.

"It's not as if it makes financial sense to build it as a terrace. The thinking is that it provides lower-cost access to the ground and creates a unique atmosphere.

"People are protesting about the trees in O'Connell Street being cut down, but Hill 16 is also a Dublin institution and it would be a tragedy if it went."

An Bord Pleanála isn't conducting an oral hearing, but the GAA hope that a decision will be made on the submissions by the end of April.

The northern end of the ground will be in use next June when the Special Olympics come to Ireland and Croke Park stages the opening and closing ceremonies. The stage for these events will be located on the northern end.

To expedite this the Nally will be demolished, because the Olympic stage will be difficult to construct, given that access to the pitch will be severely restricted.

"Construction will take about a week before the opening and a few days afterwards," says McKenna. "The stage will be built from the back out, rather than from the front. It will be tricky, because there's not a lot of room to manoeuvre heavy machinery, and something like the Olympic flame is a serious bit of kit to install."

According to McKenna, the playing surface at Croke Park has stood up well to the recent deluges in the surrounding area and schools matches were played there last week. But the GAA didn't entirely escape damage in the floods. The community centre off Distillery Road, an initiative agreed with local residents, was virtually destroyed.

"It was hit by six or seven feet of water and completely destroyed on the ground level. The trouble is that there was quite a lot on the ground floor. A lift for disabled people had been installed, the kitchen was there and a beautiful wooden floor.

"It was just about ready for handover and the insurance people are assessing the damage with the architects."