  Deep J, H and Ks photometry of the low Galactic latitude Norma cluster has
been obtained with the 1.4-m Infrared Survey Facility (IRSF) and with SOFI on
the NTT. Together with spectroscopy taken at the Anglo-Australian Observatory
using 2dF, the near-infrared Fundamental Plane of the Norma cluster will be
used to determine the distance to this cluster and to assess its location
within the Great Attractor overdensity. Potential systematic uncertainties
related to the determination of peculiar velocities in the Zone of Avoidance
are discussed in some detail. In particular the effects (uncertainties,
systematics and scatter) of extinction and star-crowding on the derived
magnitudes at low latitudes are investigated in great detail. We present a
first look at the emerging Ks-band Fundamental Plane of the Norma cluster. We
expect an uncertainty of ~ 3% (~ 150 km/s at the distance of the Norma cluster)
in our final Fundamental Plane distance estimate based on 76 galaxies.
