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

[T Fearon]

Seems to be an ego vanity project,,even considering demolishing houses,without even telling the residents it was an option being considered. How often would a 38,000 stadium be filled or even nearly filled? Once a year maximum.

[Tony Baloney]

There is no way a 38,000 can be built without demolishing houses,which the occupants won't agree to.Disturbing that the GAA and DCAL Minister were prepared to disregard GAA members safety.

That's the bit that annoys me.

Nothing new in that programme tbh.

Thought that myself. Ulster Council still not to be trusted I'd say.

[armaghniac]

There is no way a 38,000 can be built without demolishing houses,which the occupants won't agree to.Disturbing that the GAA and DCAL Minister were prepared to disregard GAA members safety.

In a normal country, where a large public amenity needs a couple of houses demolished to improve safety, the public authorities would simply acquire the said houses and demolish them. They have cleared away entire districts in Belfast, taking over a couple of houses shouldn't be the end of the world.

[theskull1]

More than just the Ulster Council pushing the 'FFS ...lets just get her built' agenda

Antrim CB are hand in hand with them which I think is very strange on the basis that we simply don't have a fanbase to fill an 8000 seater never mind a 38000. Playing in a 38000 stadium in front of 2 or 3 thousand spectators will not suit us. So why the push to get her built I'm wondering?

[Rossfan]

Money available from Stormont as Long Mesh proposal was stymied by the crew from the 17th Century.

[Tony Baloney]

More than just the Ulster Council pushing the 'FFS ...lets just get her built' agenda

Antrim CB are hand in hand with them which I think is very strange on the basis that we simply don't have a fanbase to fill an 8000 seater never mind a 38000. Playing in a 38000 stadium in front of 2 or 3 thousand spectators will not suit us. So why the push to get her built I'm wondering?

Pure vanity project for the likes of yer man in the UC, Antrim County Board etc. The fact that they have engaged in skullduggery in the past shows they were prepared to steamroller this project and hope the locals didn't notice. Will be some spot when there is 1500 people in it. 

[Ronnie]

Shocking piece of scaremongering by BBC It would seem BBC is trying to polarise local opinion in advance of the local consultation

Don't know if it's scaremongering or not but let's consider this scenario: Springsteen is playing to 38,000 over 4 nights. The recently reconstituted UVF decide to give them westies a bit of the ole medicine with a 1000lb bomb at the entrance to that Casement monstrosity. Stadium needs evacuated in 8 mins.  One of the first things the PSNI does is close the M1 because that's exactly where the culchies will be directed and reach their safety.  I'm no expert but surely a huge pedestrian entrance/exit is planned for that roundabout?  How often it would be used is another issue.  It seems to me that the concert goers\ulster final attendees would be in a better position than the residents in Slemish Way.

The GAA have taken an arrogant stance but it seems to me that underneath all of this there's an undercurrent of not really wanting them in Belfast.  A green field site north of Newry makes far more sense. It will eventually become Northern Ireland's second city and better suited to deal with nationalists' commercial interests.

[armaghniac]

There is no way a 38,000 can be built without demolishing houses,which the occupants won't agree to.Disturbing that the GAA and DCAL Minister were prepared to disregard GAA members safety.

In a normal country, where a large public amenity needs a couple of houses demolished to improve safety, the public authorities would simply acquire the said houses and demolish them. They have cleared away entire districts in Belfast, taking over a couple of houses shouldn't be the end of the world.

Fair enough. Why haven't they approached people about doing this then? Even today, Stephen McGeehan said they had no intention in doing so.

When the thing started, they did their plan; it wouldn't fit, but they decided to bluster their way through and do not want to admit this.

[orangeman]

Ulster council are taking the Casement Park project " on the road " to afford people of west Belfast to come and look at the proposed project and get their suggestions. The " suggestion box" on the television news tonight was a bit of a cringe but UC have realised that there were mistakes made by them and others on the first go round and they at the very least want to try and mend some fractured relationships. For this at least they are to be commended but from now on there can't be any more dirty tricks from any side.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that a 38,000 capacity stadium will only be built to house an annual ulster final. There will be other sports using the stadium, concerts, conferences etc ala Croke Park Limited.

[Beffs]

There is no way a 38,000 can be built without demolishing houses,which the occupants won't agree to.Disturbing that the GAA and DCAL Minister were prepared to disregard GAA members safety.

In a normal country, where a large public amenity needs a couple of houses demolished to improve safety, the public authorities would simply acquire the said houses and demolish them. They have cleared away entire districts in Belfast, taking over a couple of houses shouldn't be the end of the world.

There is a big difference in a local authority getting a compulsory purchase order, to widen a road and a sporting body being allowed demolish an entire neighbourhood, just to enlarge a stadium.

If the GAA think it's worth their while to make attractive offers to all the home owners in the area & buy up all the houses, that are in the way of expansion, no one is stopping them. But to force people to give up their homes? That would be a PR disaster of epic proportions & there is no way the GAA would be let do it.

[theskull1]

38K seater is TOTALLY wrong for Antrims needs. I think there is widespread agreement on that?
What does it say about our CB when they appear to be ignoring this fact and have jumped on the bandwagon rather than look for solution(s) that have our long term interests at the heart of their thinking?

[johnneycool]

38K seater is TOTALLY wrong for Antrims needs. I think there is widespread agreement on that?
What does it say about our CB when they appear to be ignoring this fact and have jumped on the bandwagon rather than look for solution(s) that have our long term interests at the heart of their thinking?

Casement Park isn't an Antrim stadium anymore, its an Ulster Council stadium, the needs of Antrim were thrown to the side years ago when this money became available.

38K isn't big enough for an Ulster Final and is too big for 99% of other games in Ulster, plus if you take the opinion of the experts on Stadia safety (even Paul Scott aside) the use of the pitch as an evacuation point doesn't seem to be common practice and it would be a disgrace for the Ulster Council to propose it as a solution.
The site isn't fit for purpose, move it to another grey field site in the Greater Belfast area.

Yer man McGeehan looked a bit perturbed when the confidential plan appeared.....

[lenny]

38K seater is TOTALLY wrong for Antrims needs. I think there is widespread agreement on that?
What does it say about our CB when they appear to be ignoring this fact and have jumped on the bandwagon rather than look for solution(s) that have our long term interests at the heart of their thinking?

Casement Park isn't an Antrim stadium anymore, its an Ulster Council stadium, the needs of Antrim were thrown to the side years ago when this money became available.

38K isn't big enough for an Ulster Final and is too big for 99% of other games in Ulster, plus if you take the opinion of the experts on Stadia safety (even Paul Scott aside) the use of the pitch as an evacuation point doesn't seem to be common practice and it would be a disgrace for the Ulster Council to propose it as a solution.
The site isn't fit for purpose, move it to another grey field site in the Greater Belfast area.

Yer man McGeehan looked a bit perturbed when the confidential plan appeared.....

Why not a green field site? Those grey fields aren't much good for football.

[AQMP]

38K seater is TOTALLY wrong for Antrims needs. I think there is widespread agreement on that?
What does it say about our CB when they appear to be ignoring this fact and have jumped on the bandwagon rather than look for solution(s) that have our long term interests at the heart of their thinking?

Are the county board fully onside with a 38k seater stadium?

The Spotlight programme was shite.  Nothing new in it except planting the mistaken idea in people's heads that the GAA are going to knock their houses down.

[illdecide]

Why don't the GAA offer silly money to the residents to which they require their property to build the stadium, money talks and if they're offered a lot more than their property is worth they'll bite their arm off for it (Money talks). The stupid thing was how the drawings with their plans was leaked out and how them BBC hoors got their hands on it. From a fan and a GAA man's perspective i'm disappointed that the safety of the fans could have been jeopardised to push it through and how the old stadium got away with the crowds that have been there in the past when the ground was clearly not adequate.
From an Engineering perspective there is a project that needs constructed and to deliver this project you draw up a set of plans and options to carry this out, clearly in this scheme there are not many options left and it's clear what need to be done to get this over the line...Buy the fecking houses and give the people more than the house is worth and i guarantee no-one will refuse it...This is morally wrong but this is how things work, it happens all the time. A new road needs constructed and the land is required to build it but a farmer that owns it doesn't want to sell...the project gets held up for a while then the Government take over and just take it for a minimal fee...(that's not right either but happens all the time)