Any UK contribution to Casement Park would not bridge funding gap – Benn

Any UK government contribution to the rebuilding of Casement Park would not bridge the current funding gap for the project, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has said.

Mr Benn also said he will not make promises he cannot keep by committing to helping with the cost of redeveloping the derelict west Belfast GAA stadium while a UK government spending review is ongoing.

The Stormont Executive committed to redevelop Casement Park in 2011, as part of a strategy to revamp football’s Windsor Park and the rugby ground at Ravenhill.

While the two other Belfast-based projects went ahead, the redevelopment of Casement was delayed because of legal challenges by local residents.

In September, the UK government ended hopes that the west Belfast venue would host Euro 2028 games when it said it would not bridge a funding gap to deliver the redevelopment in time.

Speaking during a visit to Derry, Mr Benn said he had recently had a meeting with Stormont’s Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons, to discuss “challenges” with the Casement project.

Mr Benn said: “It has been an Executive commitment since 2011, here we are 14 years later.

“We know why it hasn’t been built, a lot of that has been due to planning objections from the community around Casement Park which were eventually resolved when planning permission was granted.

“I am being absolutely crystal clear, if I am in a position to make an announcement about a UK contribution I will do so.

“But I am not going to make a promise I can’t keep.

“We are in the middle of a spending review that will conclude in June.”

The Stormont Executive committed £62.5 million in 2011 to the Casement project.

The Irish Government has offered roughly £42 million and said this funding remains in place