Casement Park in line for major overhaul - 40,000 all seater Stadium.

[rrhf]

Its from the outside looking in Id admit, and Ill accpet the planning issues need resolved but some of the arguements propogated about social club rights etc, parking (when there is a stadium already there) and targetted people who have put serious effort in to get this this far being negated by the fact of whether they are being paid to do so, stinks of small minded anti progress mentality.  Its easy and a very Irish way to be against something but more difficult to be proactively for progress. 

[rrhf]

Its not possible and you know it, so they want something that stops the stadium.  The greater good is this stadium and It will mess about until it dosent happen.  Now you are an Antrim man, kids dream of playing on facilities like this, I tell you what if they offered it to Tyrone we would be taking it in the morning, but then again maybe we do have a slightly different mentality. 

[Applesisapples]

I suspect though as with the Croke Park residents who have been acting as advisers it is about what can be extracted from the GAA.

I think the residents have outlined quite clearly what they want already but you suspect away.

What they have outlined and what they actually want are not necessarily the same though.

[johnneycool]

Its not possible and you know it, so they want something that stops the stadium.

I don't actually and I don't know how you do.

The greater good...

Hardstation,
for greater clarity on this, can you (re)post the residents areas of concern and requirements?

[johnneycool]

They'll be on Nolan shortly and I imagine they will outline them again for themselves.

Not John Crossey on the radio, say it isn't so? 

I hope he can keep the expletive count down as his team talks would have been 5 minutes shorter without them..

[T Fearon]

Ironic that Crossey, a former County manager, is leading the opposition. Has he axes to grind against people in the GAA, outwith the actual stadium development itself?

[johnneycool]

Ironic that Crossey, a former County manager, is leading the opposition. Has he axes to grind against people in the GAA, outwith the actual stadium development itself?

Not sure considering his last employers were Down CB and Armagh CB, neither directly involved in the redevelopment of Casement, he would be a regular in the social club though. He does live in Moreland park with his back garden facing into Casement, so he's directly impacted, not parachuted in.

[T Fearon]

Surely any Gael worth his salt, would willingly sacrifice his garden and daylight itself for the Association?

[T Fearon]

Crossey of all people, should not be a NIMBY

[Walter Cronc]

Sorry, have I been transported to Nazi Germany?

There are many similarities between the GAA and the Nazis at times!!

[snatter]

This is stupid.

You're not anti-GAA if you're against the stadium.

If anything, you're pro-GAA, because the current plans are clearly not the best way to spend a once in a century windfall of £70million.

The site is simply too small and constrained.

The big clue is the Andytown Rd stand with no roof.

If the site were bigger........ there would be greater distance from residents and we'd be able to get a taller building with all four stands having roofs.

If the site were bigger........  the budget would be enough to deliver a proper fully covered stadium. We wouldn't have to sink so many millions into underground concrete bunkers for car parking and ancillary facilities that would otherwise be built at ground level.

If the site were bigger........  the crowds could exit safely from the stadium and we wouldn't force the people of West Belfast to be held hostage on match days by closing one of Belfast's arterial routes, the Andytown Road. Or close down the new Belfast Rapid Transport system that is due to go down the Andytown Road.

If the site were bigger........  we would get the proper 40k, fully covered, fully seated stadium that this project was meant to provide. Not the 38k, 3/4 covered mutant that they're trying to peddle now.

If the site were bigger........  the long term running costs of the stadium would be cheaper, as we'd be able to hold far more non-sporting events such as concerts to cover future running costs.

If the site were bigger........  the stadium could be built using the near universal bowl stadium design that allows more bars, restaurants, conference facilities, etc to be built. Again decreasing long term running costs. The architects themselves have admitted that they couldn't do the optimal bowl design, or provide a roof at the Andytown Rd side because the site is too constrained.

If the site were bigger........  the deepest stand wouldn't be behind the Andytown goals, but would be in the main stands along each side, allowing more people to get optimal views, not substandard ones behind the goals.


But the site isn't bigger.....
It's time to take the funding elsewhere and build it on a site that is big enough.

[snatter]

Regardless of anything it appears there are those on here and elsewhere who dont want Casement to happen. I find it amazing that GAA people have mixed opinions on wanting to establish a landmark presence in Belfast at the home of its most famous ground, after the success of Croke Park. The GAA needs a strong Antrim as we need a strong Dublin and this stadium provides a focus point for excellence and development.  I also wonder about the Antrim county boards role in all this, they need to be steadfastly encouraging this opportunity to happen.

I agree that any new stadium should be in Belfast, to
1. Increase the GAA's profile.
2. Maximise income from holding events such as concerts and conferences

A bigger site, somewhere in Greater Belfast should be found.
Ideally, if Belfast wants the benefits a 40k fully covered stadium can bring, it should stump up some of the cost, eg by gifting a site it controls. 

Like Liverpool have done with Stanley Park, or Cork have done for Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Musgrave Park, owned by Belfast City Council & 300m away from Casement is ideally suited.
Politically a more neutral location, it would also attract more non-match day income.
It is much bigger site, allowing a truly exemplar design 40k fully covered stadium to be developed.
Something really tall and high impact to advertise the GAA and Irish dimension to our city.

It is big enough to allow crowds to exit the stadium and disperse without having to close neighbouring arterial routes. And closer to train stations as well.

Car parking and other ancilliary building can be done at ground level, not by building expensive underground concrete bunkers.

[cluaineois]

Jarlath Burns remedy for economic deprivation in belfast is to build a stadium that the locals clearly dont want . While at the same time taking a major economic benefit from a deprived rural community. I look forward to his future articles about rural decline and its impact on Gaa clubs.

[T Fearon]

I would venture to suggest that there's no site outwith West Belfast, that would be safe for the construction of a major GAA stadium in the City. Incidentally to-day's Irish News reports suggest that residents would be happy to let the Casement development proceed subject to them receiving £20k each in terms of compensation, which means they are effectively prostitutes, and renders obsolete all arguments in support of them, on this thread and elsewhere

[Orchardman]

I don't think anyone on here is surprised to see Burns weigh in behind the GAA here.
The biggest ball licker there has ever been.

A number of points, Jarly, I know you read...

Who told you that the residents wanted it sunk 20 metres? And who advised you on the cost of this??
I ask because the residents committee only asked for it to be sunk 7 or 8 metres and DCAL could not provide them with costs of doing so as "costings had not yet been done". Stop making stuff up.

As for your opening about these 3 people working tirelessly for the GAA... 2 of them are well paid for it. It is not grassroots nor volunteerism.


Your tongue is for licking ice cream, Jarly, nothing else.

Much as I think Belfast need's a proper stadium, I understand why the locals would want nothing to do with it and so wouldn't agree with everything burns said.

But this post made me cringe, fairly poor effort