Costs of redeveloping Casement Park for Euro 2028 'remain unconfirmed'

No confirmed costs for the development of Casement Park have been received by the North's Executive Office, the deputy First Minister has said.

The currently derelict GAA ground in west Belfast has been earmarked as a venue for the Euro 2028 football tournament.

Reports over the weekend suggested the cost of building a new stadium on the site for the Euros could cost £308 million (€360 million).

In 2011, the Stormont Executive committed £62.5 million to the project.

Last month, the Irish Government offered £40 million towards it, and the GAA has said it will contribute £15 million.

A leaked letter reported by UTV on Friday suggested that the British government has reservations around plugging the remaining funding gap.

During Executive Office questions in the Northern Ireland Assembly on Monday, TUV MLA Jim Allister described the reported cost of the development of Casement Park as being “out of control”.

He questioned deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly as to whether it was “fiscally responsible” to include it in Northern Ireland’s programme for government, “particularly given the high-level need in health and education”.

The deputy First Minister responded saying they have not had confirmation around the cost of the project yet.

“There is a commitment to the Casement project as part of the multi sports programme,” she said.

“That fiscal commitment remains.

“There has been no change to that fiscal commitment but, of course, we are aware, there has been a huge amount of speculation, but it has yet to be confirmed, that costs have increased.

“There would, of course, be inflationary increase, but it does appear that costs have significantly increased.

“We have not yet had information about the totality of what that