Casement Park redevelopment ‘outside control of Northern Executive’

The redevelopment of Casement Park is outside the control of the Northern Ireland Executive, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has told MLAs in Stormont.

A DUP MP has also told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in London that he understood that the total cost of the rebuild of the GAA stadium in west Belfast had reached £220 million (€257 million).

The Irish Government has pledged €50 million for the redevelopment of the stadium, which has been earmarked to host matches during the Euro 2028 football tournament, as part of a funding package for projects benefiting Northern Ireland.

However, uncertainty remains over the rest of the funding for the project.

European football’s governing body Uefa confirmed last year that the UK and Ireland will jointly host the Euros.

As part of the successful bid, Casement Park was listed as one of the stadiums where games will be played.

But the site is derelict and plans by the GAA to redevelop it with a 34,000 capacity have been mired in controversy and hit by delays.

The project has been delayed by a series of legal challenges and was further complicated by the lack of a functioning Executive at Stormont for two years.

The redevelopment has also been hit by rising costs, with an original projected price tag of £77.5 million now believed to have spiralled much higher.

The GAA is part-funding the project but has yet to reach an agreement with Stormont on how to cover the multimillion-pound shortfall. As well as the contribution from Dublin, the British government has indicated it is prepared to offer additional funding.

During ministerial question time at Stormont, SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan said the funds pledged by the Irish Government made it a good day for sport across Northern