REDEVELOPMENT WORK ON Casement Park is set to start next week.
In a statement released today, Ulster GAA announced that it will commence “necessary maintenance and pre-enabling works,” which will continue throughout March, on the site from the week beginning Monday, 19 February.
Activity will be focused on initial ground works, with site clearance following suit from April to June, including the removal of the old terracing.
Casement Park — which is set to have a capacity of 34,578 upon completion — is among 10 host venues earmarked for the 2028 Uefa European Championships, which will be co-hosted by the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.
The Belfast venue has not been in use since 2013. Planning permission for the revamped ground was granted back in 2013, but those plans were later scrapped and a new proposal announced in 2017 also struggled to get up and running as costs soared.
The GAA announced in 2021 that construction for the redevelopment project was set to commence in the first half of 2022 and was expected to be a two-year build, though there have been several setbacks and legal challenges along the way.
Funding for the redevelopment remains a “big difficulty,” Stormont’s new Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said this week.
Ulster GAA has announced that it will commence necessary maintenance and pre-enabling works ahead of the development works for the new @CasementPark🏟️
— Ulster GAA (@UlsterGAA) February 15, 2024
Read more here 👉https://t.co/8V3adm0vLC pic.twitter.com/byeNwsekei
“The Department for Communities (DfC) is leading the procurement of the main construction contract for the project through UK Government frameworks for major strategic infrastructure projects,” Ulster GAA’s statement adds.
Ulster GAA Stadium Board Chairman Tom Daly commented: “Commencing works on site has always been a crucial milestone for the redevelopment of Casement Park and we are looking forward to this exciting new phase of the project with a targeted timeline for the delivery of Ulster GAA’s provincial stadium and Antrim’s new home.
“It has been a long and frustrating journey to get to this point, however this is an important step forward as we prepare for the delivery phase of the project. Casement Park will host some of the largest and most significant GAA games on the island and it will also be a seven-day-a-week hub that the whole community can access and enjoy.
“With Casement Park being the only regional venue that can host unique global events such as Euro 2028, we are also delighted to support our friends and colleagues at the Irish FA by providing the stadium as a tournament venue for the bid and we are excited by the opportunities that this will create for all of society.”
“With works commencing on site next week we will be working with the local community to ensure that they are fully informed on every step of the journey,” Daly added.
“As our team commences this phase of the project, we would like to thank the local community for their support and patience over the last number of years as we plan for an exciting new future for Casement Park.”
- With reporting from Emma Duffy.
