Compromise key to solving Casement Park conundrum
At 10.26am, a tweet from @ClubAontroma announced that “planning permission for the redevelopment of Casement Park is denied in court”.
That statement wasn’t accurate. Mr Justice Horner hasn’t denied anything — yet.
Yes, the judge ruled that the North’s Department of the Environment made a hash of things. The DoE messed up. Traffic assessments and environmental surveys were not carried out properly.
When assessing the impact of the new stadium, the DoE claimed that an extra 5,000 fans would be attending the ground. This was calculated from a baseline attendance of 32,500.
But Casement Park hasn’t been filled for years and Mr Justice Horner ruled that a much smaller figure should have been employed.
Crucially though, the judge didn’t quash the planning permission. Instead, he invited the parties to a meeting yesterday. The final outcome is expected today.
The judge’s reluctance to make a definitive judgment should be a source of hope for the GAA.
If the project was going to be killed stone dead, then it can be assumed the news would have been delivered yesterday.
Judicial reviews are a like a boxing contest. Two combatants enter the ring. If both parties are still alive at the end, the referee raises the arm of one man.
When dispensing verdicts the law is usually just as swift. So why did Mr Justice Horner refuse to declare an outright winner? It’s difficult to avoid the conclusion that the judge believes some type of accommodation can be reached.
Let’s hope he is right. It would be a travesty if the opposition of such a tiny minority derailed a project that has got almost universal support. A few months ago, I argued that the vast majority of the people in West Belfast were in favour of Casement Park being redeveloped. The main thrust of the opposition was coming from the 180 houses situated around the ground.
Since then the GAA has got its act together and that opposition has been whittled down to about a dozen individuals.
The vast majority of residents are now willing to accept a compensation package. Under the terms of the proposal, the houses surrounding the new venue will be divided into four categories: A, B, C and D.
Residents of category A houses will receive €25,000 and the descending scale is €18,900 (category B), €12,600 (category C) and €6,300 (category D).
Ulster GAA has also volunteered to build a 2,000 square foot community centre and residents will be represented on the stadium’s board.
Regardless of what happens tomorrow, it is abundantly clear that there is a collective will for Casement Park to be redeveloped.
While the residents have delayed progress, they must realise that even if Ulster GAA is forced to go back to square one, they can still get their new HQ on the Andersonstown Road. The DoE just needs to correct the mistakes which were made the first time around.
Ironically, the greatest threat to the project could come from within the GAA. As things stand, the British exchequer is willing to provide €77 million for a new GAA stadium in Ulster. Croke Park has also agreed to provide €18.9m.
But some influential figures in the GAA are not in favour of Ulster’s new HQ being built in Belfast. Instead, they believe the project should be shelved and the €18.9m from Croke Park should be ploughed into St Tiernach’s Park in Clones.
The powers-that-be in Croke Park have a responsibility to publicly voice their support for Casement Park. For years, leading GAA officials have told us that they are committed to developing Gaelic Games in Ireland’s second biggest city. Such words would sound extremely hollow if the GAA turns its back on Belfast and returns to a market town in Monaghan.
The incredible level of ignorance surrounding the controversy is not helping matters. Calls for the stadium to be reduced to a 25,000 seater are breathtakingly stupid. Ulster is littered with grounds that accommodate 20,000 fans. The province needs a venue that hold Ulster finals and All-Ireland quarter-finals.
Time and time again, there are demands for the €77m to be channelled into other projects. Again, this is just uninformed babble. The war chest of €77m can only be used for a GAA stadium. It is like a gift voucher for a specific shop. It can’t be used anywhere else. If it’s not spent, the money will return to the central purse and will be used to fill potholes.
Throughout this long and infuriating dispute, the residents have insisted that their main gripe lies with the height of the new stadium. But Ulster GAA has been reluctant to reduce the size of the capacity. For good reason, they have insisted that the ground must hold more than 35,000.
For a compromise, the GAA should look to the east of the city. Kingspan Stadium, formerly Ravenhill Park has a capacity of 18,000. Terracing accounts for exactly half of that figure.
That’s right. It seems your average Ulster rugger lover has no objection to standing at a game.
This raises one very pertinent question. Why is Ulster GAA so obsessed with building an all-seater venue? With terracing, they could build a smaller stadium and still cater for 40,000 supporters.
GAA insiders claim that the push for all-seater grounds comes from market research that was carried out at national level. The researchers must have conducted their surveys in the VIP section in Croke Park. I would dispute those findings and for hard evidence, I would point to Hill 16.
Even when seats are available, there are thousands of Dubs who still prefer to stand on the Hill.
Apart from the fact that they will have a better time, their preference for standing could also have something to do with the price of tickets. It’s cheaper to stand.
For a Pro12 game at Ravenhill, a seated ticket along the sidelines costs £30 (€37.80). A terrace ticket in the same area is £15 (€18.94). The clever people at Ulster Rugby insisted that there was terracing the whole way around their new ground. Why? Because terracing generates more noise and a better atmosphere. (I just wish Ulster GAA upheld the same working class values as their counterparts in Ulster Rugby).
The delay caused by this judicial review is costing the Casement Park project £60,000 (€75,764) a week. The overall bill has now risen by £2.7m (€3.4m). Counsel for the GAA revealed nearly £5m (€6.3m) of preliminary work will be lost if the scheme is halted further. There are reports the site is infested with rats. While the residents might have understandable grievances with the stadium, the alternative could be a lot worse. Prolonging this saga serves no-one’s interests.
There is room for compromise. There must be a good reason why Mr Justice Horner is brought all the parties into a room yesterday. If he can convince them to accept a draw, everyone could celebrate a victory.
