Casement Park rebuild plans scaled back

Image: Populous

The down-scaled redevelopment of Casement Park stadium in Belfast will still be able to hold more than 30,000 fans, the president of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has said.

The BBC said Jarlath Burns made the comment after meeting the Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, adding that the GAA are now seeking a meeting with the Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn.

Benn had said that it is for the Northern Ireland Executive to decide how to take the redevelopment of Casement Park forward.

Casement Park is the principal Gaelic games stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is located in Andersonstown Road in the West of the City and is named after the Irish revolutionary Roger Casement. The stadium, which has been closed since June 2013, previously had a capacity of approximately 31,500.

Benn said earlier this year that the cost of rebuilding Casement Park had risen to £400 million ($524.8 million) and the UK Government will not fund the redevelopment because of the risk it would not be built in time for the UEFA European Championships in 2028.

The derelict West Belfast stadium was earmarked to host five matches in Euro 2028 being jointly hosted by the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Burns said the GAA has had a “relook at the type of stadium that is going to be built, based on the fact that we’re not getting the Euros anymore”. He said the new plans for the venue would be “basic and modest.”

Burns said, “It’s a significantly smaller cost because we’ve taken a lot of the fitout away from it to try and make it as small a cost to the public purse as possible.

“We have managed to retain the number of people who will fit into it, while having it to a lower specification.”

The GAA president told BBC News NI it would be unhelpful to discuss specific costs ahead of the tendering process.

He said, “We are very confident in what we have done with regard to the reduced costs and I know that the minister, as a result of what he heard today, is still very committed to the project and feels strongly that it can be delivered.”

The BBC further stated that the NI Secretary says there is ‘more money’ but admits Euro 2028 ambitions are ‘gone’

The secretary of state said: “The executive now has more money and it can spend it on a range of priorities, it’s a devolved government, they make the choices, we provide the funding.”

Speaking to BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme, Benn said “what everyone had been planning for in respect of the Euros has gone. It wasn’t possible, so what does the revised plan look like?”

He blamed the previous government for the fact that the stadium would no longer be built in time for the Euros, saying it was part of a “toxic legacy” they left behind.

Speaking later, Benn said he welcomed reports of a revised proposal, and looked forward to hearing more.

Benn also said he was not in a position to “make a commitment today” and would need to know more about the proposition “including what the cost is”.

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