DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has approved plans to borrow €34 million to help fund the redevelopment of Dalymount Park.
The ground in Dublin’s Phibsborough, which is currently home to League of Ireland side Bohemians, was bought from the club for €3.4 million by the council in 2015.
According to the funding proposal, the loan of approximately €34.03 million will have a term of 30 years.
Loan repayments will cost the council €1.8m a year, which would be partly funded from rental income on the stadium from Bohemians, as well as match day revenue.
The council has also amended its planning application to incorporate some changes, which the local authority says will result in a saving of €3.5 million on the project.
These include alterations to the proposed roof, changes to the proposed basement and relocation of changing rooms.
The funding proposal will now be sent to Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne for approval.
It had been anticipated that construction on the project would begin in 2027.
However, at Dublin City Council’s monthly meeting this evening, CEO Richard Shakespeare indicated that construction could be underway by this time next year.
“We would hope to be on site this time next year,” Shakespeare told the meeting.
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Lord Mayor Ray McAdam asked whether the selection of a contractor for the tender process would take place “imminently”, and would hopefully be selected by next summer.
“That would be the general gist, yeah,” Shakespeare said.
Redevelopment plans
The approval of the funding proposal has been welcomed by Bohemians, with the club saying the funding “will allow for the historic stadium to be fully redeveloped and serve the people of Dublin and beyond long into the future”.
Bohemian Football Club welcomes tonight’s unanimous decision by Dublin City Council to send a Dalymount Park funding proposal for final approval to Minister James Browne.
This is the final step in a process that began with DCC acquiring Dalymount exactly 10 years ago.
According to a report by the local authority, the council plans to demolish the existing stadium and structures on the site and to build a new stadium with 6,240 seats and capacity for another 1,794 people standing.
The pitch will be re-oriented to run north-south and get new sand-based grass, along with new changing rooms, match-day facilities for teams and officials and club offices.
There will also be a 585 sq.m space over two floors which will include a multifunctional community room and a gym. There is provision in the plans for 12 car parking spaces and 50 bicycle spaces within the site.
The redevelopment project has already received around €25 million in central government funding via the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF).
Councillors welcomed the plans at tonight’s meeting.
Green Party councillor Feljin Jose said the municipal stadium would also serve as a community hub for Phibsborough.
‘Hugh incentive’ for Phibsborough regeneration
Independent councillor Ciarán Perry, who said he is a Bohemians fan, said the gain for the community would be “exceptional”.
“This could regenerate the fantastic village of Phibsborough, which has really had a poor history. I believe this could be a huge incentive for the whole regeneration of the area.”
Perry also said the FAI not contributing any funding towards the project was “a bit of a disgrace”, with similar sentiments being expressed by several councillors.
A number of councillors raised concerns about oversight of the project and asked how the council and the CEO would ensure that the estimated cost would not rise between now and when the project is completed.
Questions were also asked about who would be responsible for the management and governance of the ground and whether Dublin City Council and councillors would have a role on the board of management.
DCC CEO Shakespeare said he could understand concerns around how the ground will operate.
“We are looking at the pros and cons of all sorts of operating models, from direct lease with conditions through to oversight. We’re just trying to do cost-benefit on each of those models,” he said.
He also said they will try to “maximise the potential commercial return” on the uses of the ground, including naming rights, potential concerns and what Bohemians pay to use it, adding: “These are all being teased out as we go through.”
On the cost, Shakespeare said there is there is a contingency built into the €63.7 figure.
“It is reasonable. There’s a whole range of different contingencies built into it. This is designed to be the worst case scenario, and we are very cost-conscious.
“It’ll be down to the project management, and I think, in fairness, we have some very strong project managers,” Shakespeare said. “I have, you might say, full confidence in the team that it will be delivered within the budget.”
The council committed to redeveloping the ground in 2015 based on a two-club model with Shelbourne FC to leave Tolka Park and become co-anchor tenants with Bohemians in the new Dalymount.
However, Shelbourne withdrew from the project in 2022 after expressing a desire to remain at Tolka Park.
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Council approves funding plans for Dalymount redevelopment - and construction could begin next year
DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has approved plans to borrow €34 million to help fund the redevelopment of Dalymount Park.
The ground in Dublin’s Phibsborough, which is currently home to League of Ireland side Bohemians, was bought from the club for €3.4 million by the council in 2015.
The long-awaited redevelopment is anticipated to cost €63.7 million, well above the €40 million price tag put on the project a year ago.
According to the funding proposal, the loan of approximately €34.03 million will have a term of 30 years.
Loan repayments will cost the council €1.8m a year, which would be partly funded from rental income on the stadium from Bohemians, as well as match day revenue.
The council has also amended its planning application to incorporate some changes, which the local authority says will result in a saving of €3.5 million on the project.
These include alterations to the proposed roof, changes to the proposed basement and relocation of changing rooms.
The funding proposal will now be sent to Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne for approval.
It had been anticipated that construction on the project would begin in 2027.
However, at Dublin City Council’s monthly meeting this evening, CEO Richard Shakespeare indicated that construction could be underway by this time next year.
“We would hope to be on site this time next year,” Shakespeare told the meeting.
Lord Mayor Ray McAdam asked whether the selection of a contractor for the tender process would take place “imminently”, and would hopefully be selected by next summer.
“That would be the general gist, yeah,” Shakespeare said.
Redevelopment plans
The approval of the funding proposal has been welcomed by Bohemians, with the club saying the funding “will allow for the historic stadium to be fully redeveloped and serve the people of Dublin and beyond long into the future”.
According to a report by the local authority, the council plans to demolish the existing stadium and structures on the site and to build a new stadium with 6,240 seats and capacity for another 1,794 people standing.
The pitch will be re-oriented to run north-south and get new sand-based grass, along with new changing rooms, match-day facilities for teams and officials and club offices.
There will also be a 585 sq.m space over two floors which will include a multifunctional community room and a gym. There is provision in the plans for 12 car parking spaces and 50 bicycle spaces within the site.
The redevelopment project has already received around €25 million in central government funding via the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF).
Councillors welcomed the plans at tonight’s meeting.
Green Party councillor Feljin Jose said the municipal stadium would also serve as a community hub for Phibsborough.
‘Hugh incentive’ for Phibsborough regeneration
Independent councillor Ciarán Perry, who said he is a Bohemians fan, said the gain for the community would be “exceptional”.
“This could regenerate the fantastic village of Phibsborough, which has really had a poor history. I believe this could be a huge incentive for the whole regeneration of the area.”
Perry also said the FAI not contributing any funding towards the project was “a bit of a disgrace”, with similar sentiments being expressed by several councillors.
A number of councillors raised concerns about oversight of the project and asked how the council and the CEO would ensure that the estimated cost would not rise between now and when the project is completed.
Questions were also asked about who would be responsible for the management and governance of the ground and whether Dublin City Council and councillors would have a role on the board of management.
DCC CEO Shakespeare said he could understand concerns around how the ground will operate.
“We are looking at the pros and cons of all sorts of operating models, from direct lease with conditions through to oversight. We’re just trying to do cost-benefit on each of those models,” he said.
He also said they will try to “maximise the potential commercial return” on the uses of the ground, including naming rights, potential concerns and what Bohemians pay to use it, adding: “These are all being teased out as we go through.”
On the cost, Shakespeare said there is there is a contingency built into the €63.7 figure.
“It is reasonable. There’s a whole range of different contingencies built into it. This is designed to be the worst case scenario, and we are very cost-conscious.
“It’ll be down to the project management, and I think, in fairness, we have some very strong project managers,” Shakespeare said. “I have, you might say, full confidence in the team that it will be delivered within the budget.”
The council committed to redeveloping the ground in 2015 based on a two-club model with Shelbourne FC to leave Tolka Park and become co-anchor tenants with Bohemians in the new Dalymount.
However, Shelbourne withdrew from the project in 2022 after expressing a desire to remain at Tolka Park.
Written by Jane Moore and posted on TheJournal.ie
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