Casement Park funding 'will remain available' - Lyons

Money set aside by the Northern Ireland Executive for the redevelopment of Casement Park remains on the table after reports that the GAA looks set to scale back its plans, the communities minister has said.

Gordon Lyons has said he wants to see the redevelopment of Casement Park in west Belfast done on a “basis that is sustainable, affordable and value for money”.

It is expected the ground capacity will now be lower than the 34,000 planned.

As a result, it will not be able to stage Ulster senior finals but will instead be used for other provincial fixtures.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme, Lyons said: “As per the 2011 agreement, I want to see the redevelopment of Casement Park on a basis that is sustainable, affordable and value for money.

“That hasn’t been on the table up to this point.”

He said that “we need something on the table that’s a proposal that actually fits within the funding environment that’s there”.

The communities minister said that there “will need to be a new business case” made because “things have changed, not just in terms of the money that is available and the plans that will be coming from the GAA, but things have changed in terms of how we watch sport, what the visitor and fan experience is like as well”.

“Those things will all be taken into consideration but we are driven, from our point of view, in the executive, by the money that is available.”

In 2011, the Northern Ireland Executive set aside £62.5m for the stadium.

Lyons confirmed that this funding “will remain available for the GAA”.

However, he added: “It is not up to me as the sports minister or anybody else to determine what their strategic need is.

“They will determine what that is, they determine what is capable of hosting, for example, an Ulster football championship final and for them to bring that forward.”

He said the redevelopment will “always have to be subject to certain tests to make sure that it is value for money”.

“It has never been the case that we would simply just release the 62.5m that was promised. They will always need to be marked and scored against those value for money criteria,” he added.

“But I have been clear, the executive is clear, the funding for the GAA that was promised is still there.”

What has Ulster GAA said?

While Ulster GAA last week would not confirm the redevelopment is being scaled back, a statement said it remained “fully committed” and that its “project team is currently reviewing options” in delivering the stadium.

It added: “We will continue to work closely with all funding partners to honour the long-standing commitments made to see major GAA games returning to our redeveloped provincial stadium in Belfast.”

How much will the Casement Park redevelopment cost?

The move comes amid a long running dispute over the project’s funding.

The development was also delayed over prolonged planning disputes.

Rebuilding the west Belfast stadium was estimated to cost about £260m of which £120m was jointly in place from the Stormont Executive, the Irish government and the GAA.

The UK government had pledged a further £50m as part of the spending review which left a shortfall of £90m.

It is understood some in the GAA felt there was question mark over the government’s financial commitment, which has prompted a rethink.

A Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said the UK government remains committed to providing £50m of capital funding over four years to the executive to support the redevelopment.

The Department for Communities last week said minister Lyons has “consistently said the GAA must develop a project that is sustainable, affordable, reasonable and value for money”.

What has caused the redevelopment delays?

The ground has been lying derelict for more than a decade.

The redevelopment has faced many years of setbacks and delays, and questions have continued over funding for the project amid increasing construction costs.

As noted above, the Executive originally set aside £62.5m for the stadium in 2011.

Earlier this year, a draft multi-year budget published by Finance Minister John O’Dowd proposed an inflationary increase to more than £100m.

But the Sinn Féin minister’s budget proposals had not been agreed by other ministers in the Executive.

The GAA has previously said a reported estimate of around £270m was closer to the assumptions it was working on.

Among other bumps in the road was the matter of Euro 2028.

The UK government announced in 2024 that the estimated cost of rebuilding Casement Park had risen to more than £400m, confirming that it would not be providing funding to redevelop the stadium in time for the tournament.

In order to be ready for the tournament, Casement Park needed to be rebuilt by the summer of 2027.

Trying to cater for soccer, as well as GAA, has increased costs further, as UEFA requires a higher specification of stadium to be used in its tournaments.

However, the GAA will be hoping that even though the government has said it will not be funding a Euro 2028-compliant stadium, it may still contribute to the redevelopment whenever it happens.

The Irish government has already pledged more than £40m.

What has the political reaction been?

The First Minister Michelle O’Neill assured that Casement Park will be rebuilt, calling it an “absolute priority”.

“Despite obstruction and delay, real progress has been made in recent months, with diggers and workers now on site as the redevelopment moves forward. We must continue to build on that momentum,” O’Neill said.

The Stormont opposition leader, Matthew O’Toole, told Good Morning Ulster on Monday that this development is “unacceptable”.

“Not just for people who care about GAA, but for people who wanted a significant stadium in Belfast that could hold major events, concerts and things that would be hugely significant for us,” O’Toole added.

He said “politicians who promised this”, including the first minister and communities minister, “will have to account for what’s happened”.

O’Toole said it is “hugely important the planning permission remains live because having to restart that entire process which took years in the first place would be an even worse scenario”.

The Ulster Unionist party said if the project could not be delivered within the level of funding provided, “it should be redesigned to reflect the funding available” instead of “continually seeking additional money from the taxpayer”.

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