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

[Jimmy]

Still a bit off from seeing a game in Casement. Best case scenario, games will be there in 2023.

https://www.gaa.ie/news/hopes-high-casement-park-will-host-matches-in-2023/

Chairperson of the Casement Park Stadium Development Project Board, Tom Daly, hopes that GAA matches will return to the Belfast venue by the second half of 2023.

The decision by Northern Ireland's Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon, to recommend planning approval for the redevelopment of the stadium has now made it possible to imagine what the timeline from approval to ribbon-cutting will look like.

There's still a journey to travel, but Daly is positive a very important step in the right direction has been taken.

"The Minister has announced her intention to provide notice to approve the project," he says. "It'll be about a week before we get the form of notification which will have attached to it planning conditions.

"We know there are going to be 55 planning conditions. For example, it will set the capacity at 34,578 and it will allude to a maximum of a three concerts per annum.

"A lot of the other planning conditions are related to environmental requirements. There's nothing there that we're concerned about, but we'll still have to study it.

"What happens then is it goes to Belfast City Council and then it has effect then after 28 days. We're then into a bit of a fallow period where we couldn't issue construction notice until we get past a number things.

"In addition to that, our planning design now has to be further developed with the contractor. So we'll have to do design development work in liaison with the planners with the builder's design team. That's a further detailed drawing stage which also helps pin down things in advance of us issuing a construction notice.

"That whole process of getting past certain windows for legal objections and sorting out the design process, we would see that with a fair wind we could be on site by the middle of next year.

"We would visualise it being a two year construction period. So, with a fair wind, we could see games taking place in that stadium in the latter half of 2023."


Daly believes that a redeveloped Casement Park will have a very positive impact in a variety of ways that will be felt for decades to come.

"First of all there's a universal feeling of satisfaction throughout Ulster that something that has been so much a part of the strategic plan of the Ulster Council and with a big Antrim involvement, but also fitting into the national strategic plan of at least one major stadium of modern standard in each province, is now closer to being achieved," he says.

"Among GAA people there will be a lot of satisfaction that has been achieved.

"It will mean an awful lot to people in Belfast and Antrim, particularly GAA people, because Casement Park has been historically very important to them and they haven't had it available to them for a protracted period of time.

"I suppose it's really a field of dreams for young people in Antrim and Ulster.

"The whole thing was founded and grounded in good will and a very positive attitude to doing something constructive that would boost the economy and boost sport and boost the whole profile of Ulster and Belfast in terms of the sporting heritage of the city.

"I think that ultimately is this is delivered, if you look at all the other big things that have happened in the space of civic projects around Belfast such as the Titanic centre and The MAC Arts centre and the work that has been done to give soccer and rugby what they asked for.

"If that is achieved for the GAA as well we'll have a city with very modern venues and sporting infrastructure that opens up all sorts of possibilities when those resources are combined with each other in terms of external events over the next 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years."

[restorepride]

Still a bit off from seeing a game in Casement. Best case scenario, games will be there in 2023.

https://www.gaa.ie/news/hopes-high-casement-park-will-host-matches-in-2023/

Chairperson of the Casement Park Stadium Development Project Board, Tom Daly, hopes that GAA matches will return to the Belfast venue by the second half of 2023.

The decision by Northern Ireland's Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon, to recommend planning approval for the redevelopment of the stadium has now made it possible to imagine what the timeline from approval to ribbon-cutting will look like.

There's still a journey to travel, but Daly is positive a very important step in the right direction has been taken.

"The Minister has announced her intention to provide notice to approve the project," he says. "It'll be about a week before we get the form of notification which will have attached to it planning conditions.

"We know there are going to be 55 planning conditions. For example, it will set the capacity at 34,578 and it will allude to a maximum of a three concerts per annum.

"A lot of the other planning conditions are related to environmental requirements. There's nothing there that we're concerned about, but we'll still have to study it.

"What happens then is it goes to Belfast City Council and then it has effect then after 28 days. We're then into a bit of a fallow period where we couldn't issue construction notice until we get past a number things.

"In addition to that, our planning design now has to be further developed with the contractor. So we'll have to do design development work in liaison with the planners with the builder's design team. That's a further detailed drawing stage which also helps pin down things in advance of us issuing a construction notice.

"That whole process of getting past certain windows for legal objections and sorting out the design process, we would see that with a fair wind we could be on site by the middle of next year.

"We would visualise it being a two year construction period. So, with a fair wind, we could see games taking place in that stadium in the latter half of 2023."


Daly believes that a redeveloped Casement Park will have a very positive impact in a variety of ways that will be felt for decades to come.

"First of all there's a universal feeling of satisfaction throughout Ulster that something that has been so much a part of the strategic plan of the Ulster Council and with a big Antrim involvement, but also fitting into the national strategic plan of at least one major stadium of modern standard in each province, is now closer to being achieved," he says.

"Among GAA people there will be a lot of satisfaction that has been achieved.

"It will mean an awful lot to people in Belfast and Antrim, particularly GAA people, because Casement Park has been historically very important to them and they haven't had it available to them for a protracted period of time.

"I suppose it's really a field of dreams for young people in Antrim and Ulster.

"The whole thing was founded and grounded in good will and a very positive attitude to doing something constructive that would boost the economy and boost sport and boost the whole profile of Ulster and Belfast in terms of the sporting heritage of the city.

"I think that ultimately is this is delivered, if you look at all the other big things that have happened in the space of civic projects around Belfast such as the Titanic centre and The MAC Arts centre and the work that has been done to give soccer and rugby what they asked for.

"If that is achieved for the GAA as well we'll have a city with very modern venues and sporting infrastructure that opens up all sorts of possibilities when those resources are combined with each other in terms of external events over the next 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years."

That is ok, gives Aontroim time to 'build' (!) and win the Ulster Hurling and Football Championship in the same year - 2024?  Once built, the rest  will follow.  This project is larger than local residents - sorry, but it is - and Ulster Gaels deserve to have Casement Park functional again.  Locals will still have a say and rights but imo they don't have a right any more to stop the whole development.  There is a greater good which also has rights.   Roger would approve!  Agus sin sin!  Fair play to  Comhairle Uladh for sticking at it.

[Milltown Row2]

I can see you running out to referee the first big match in  a new Casement MR, wee bandy legs and all.

They'll be well bandy before I get a run out!!

[Milltown Row2]

Interesting comments from Carál Ní Chuilín on The View. She's pretty adamant that the GAA will have to dip further into their pockets if the £33m shortfall is to be made up. I think this is the first time she's ever taken this position - previously saying that the executive would need to find the money.
The GAA have always been adamant that they aren't stumping up anymore dough.

Politicians being adamant !!  Being competent would be a bonus

[skeog]

Get Gerry back it would be sorted if he was still leader.

[marty34]

Interesting comments from Carál Ní Chuilín on The View. She's pretty adamant that the GAA will have to dip further into their pockets if the £33m shortfall is to be made up. I think this is the first time she's ever taken this position - previously saying that the executive would need to find the money.
The GAA have always been adamant that they aren't stumping up anymore dough.

GAA will have to pay more I'd say. It's been a mess from the very start.

[johnnycool]

Interesting comments from Carál Ní Chuilín on Sunday Politics. She's pretty adamant that the GAA will have to dip further into their pockets if the £33m shortfall is to be made up. I think this is the first time she's ever taken this position - previously saying that the executive would need to find the money.
The GAA have always been adamant that they aren't stumping up anymore dough.

Heard that as well and I think she was playing to the audience and knew where the line of questioning was going if she didn't say something along those lines.

[Rossfan]

With income down by anything from €50m this year the GAA's pockets won't have much to spare for some time.

[LCohen]

Interesting comments from Carál Ní Chuilín on Sunday Politics. She's pretty adamant that the GAA will have to dip further into their pockets if the £33m shortfall is to be made up. I think this is the first time she's ever taken this position - previously saying that the executive would need to find the money.
The GAA have always been adamant that they aren't stumping up anymore dough.

Heard that as well and I think she was playing to the audience and knew where the line of questioning was going if she didn't say something along those lines.

I think she could have avoided the questions without coming out with such a strong statement. "All avenues need to be explored in order to make up the shortfall, including the GAA." That would have sufficed. She has given the Unionists in the executive something to hold her to with the categorical statement she made.

Maybe she was right to say what she said? Maybe she was factually correct?

There will be room for a few pencils to be sharpened and the priced worked down from
£110m.

[marty34]

Interesting comments from Carál Ní Chuilín on Sunday Politics. She's pretty adamant that the GAA will have to dip further into their pockets if the £33m shortfall is to be made up. I think this is the first time she's ever taken this position - previously saying that the executive would need to find the money.
The GAA have always been adamant that they aren't stumping up anymore dough.

Heard that as well and I think she was playing to the audience and knew where the line of questioning was going if she didn't say something along those lines.

I think she could have avoided the questions without coming out with such a strong statement. "All avenues need to be explored in order to make up the shortfall, including the GAA." That would have sufficed. She has given the Unionists in the executive something to hold her to with the categorical statement she made.

Maybe she was right to say what she said? Maybe she was factually correct?

There will be room for a few pencils to be sharpened and the priced worked down from
£110m.

Don't get me wrong, I do think she is right in what she said! I'm just saying that if it was merely an exercise in avoiding questions, as Johnny suggested, then she didn't handle it very well.

I wonder how could they cut costs on a project this size - £40 m or £50 m is a serious amount of money over a few years.

Why is it so high and what does the extra money involve?

[Fear Bun Na Sceilpe]

Where will that extra Ulster council money come from? Coaching ? Honestly is the project worth it on that site? Sad state of affairs but I think it should been shifted years ago. Throwing good money after bad now

[illdecide]

The money already spent is for a lot of things...Demolition, security etc but by far the biggest outlay by a Country mile will be to the Principal Contractor who was appointed to do the job. A Contract would have been signed at the time and that Contractor would have hired staff and plant etc to do the job and they will have been getting money under that contract as a CE (Compensation Event). For how long I don't know and what Contract the job is under depends on the CE. If its a NEC Contract which i suspect it is that Contractor will not be out any cost that's for sure and he'll have been getting paid and covered for any expense he may have occurred.

[general_lee]

Who's money was spent though? The initial funding or GAA money? Wasn't there legal issues with the social club? I'm sure that wasn't cheap

[Fear Bun Na Sceilpe]

If you take the emotion and nostalgia out of it and take a very hard nosed look at it , it is difficult not to conclude that it is the wrong project and one that fell down on some very basic consultation principles early on, from a distance (and I must admit I would not have the detail on the project) it had a wee bit of David V Goliath look about it. Im sure someone will correct me on that but its the impression I got.

[Milltown Row2]

Possibly but the second city in Ireland should have a stadium that's reflects a lot of cities around the world...

We have a stadium that's fit for purpose for soccer and rugby, we should have had similar for GAA, maybe not as grand as the one that was initially thought of but certainly a brand new stadium, a sort of mini Croke.

We would have been using the stadium now, had the right planning and proper consultations been in place with the locals. Its a shame that its still on going with all the costs

I'd have been happy with a 28 grand seater stadium with corporate facilities/handball courts/ bar/ restaurants/ and conference rooms..