Ambitious plans have been unveiled for a €430m ski, casino and all-weather tourism complex near the border.

The Altitude snow sports and lesiure centre, just outside Dundalk, will create around 1,500 jobs over the next seven years.

The 29 acre proposed €430 million sports centre will straddle the boarder area. Developers are keen to attract regional, national and international visitors and are hoping for relaxed gambling laws.

According to AP, investors are banking on the Government loosening gambling laws, clearing the way for a casino with the entire complex potentially attracting six million people a year.

Sam Curran, one of the developers, said the centre will be built in stages.

"We've done very extensive work over the last 30 months to fine-tune what we include in our plans.”

Mr Curran said that the mix of different elements that have been propossed will attract, regional, national market and overseas visitors.

"The elements we will provide are not available at any other single site in Ireland or the UK while many of the individual parts also have no direct comparison here at present."

The development is planned for a 29 acre site off the M1 Dublin-Belfast motorway at Dowdallshill, Dundalk.

Plans include ski and nursery slopes, a 100-plus bed family hostel, 110,000-sq ft indoor concert arena, cinema, tenpin bowling and children's zone, 40,000-sq ft surf and swim centre, sports and leisure stores, restaurants and bars.

Later stages will include additional hotel accommodation and the international casino.

Developers claim it will create 1,198 full-time and 388 casual direct jobs.

It is hoped work can begin early next year with the first attractions due to open in the first half of 2011 and other phases to be introduced over the next five years.

The project will be funded privately and not by Irish banks