Ulster GAA seeking new building contractor for Casement Park

Ulster GAA has announced that it is seeking a new developer for the rebuild of Casement Park but insists it can have the stadium ready for Euro 2028.

Derry-based construction firm Heron Bros had been due to finish the redevelopment of the long-derelict site in west Belfast alongside English company the Buckingham Group. But the Buckingham Group's collapse meant Ulster GAA had to decide if Heron Bros could proceed with the work alone, and it has now decided that modifying the initial contract is not feasible.

As well as becoming the biggest Gaelic games venue in Ulster, a 34,578 capacity Casement Park is among the venues for the 2028 European Football Championship, which will be co-hosted by the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

The stadium has been unused since 2013 but last year a legal challenge against a decision to grant planning approval for the redevelopment was dismissed and earlier this month owners Antrim GAA said it was hopeful of games being at the venue by 2025. Ulster GAA had previously said it expected construction work to start in early 2024.

The rising cost of the rebuild is now estimated at between £110m and £160m, up from the £77m budgeted for in 2013. The GAA has insisted it cannot afford more than its original £15m contribution but, in the absence of a Northern Ireland Executive, the UK government has indicated funding will be available, while Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also said his government would be willing to contribute financially.

The scale of public money required has attracted criticism from some soccer fans and politicians in the North, who believe it should not be in excess of what was granted for the redevelopment of Ulster Rugby's Ravenhill and the Irish Football