GAA to secure €1.6m key landbanks for Páirc revamp

The GAA is about to secure key landbanks needed to facilitate the €70m regeneration of Páirc Uí Chaoimh stadium in Cork.

City councillors will be asked on Monday to sign off on the disposal to Cork County Board of 6.4 acres of public land at the former Showgrounds, which flank the stadium, for almost €1.6m.

The disposal, if sanctioned, will clear the way for the development of a centre of excellence alongside the stadium.

Demolition of Páirc Uí Chaoimh is well under way. Once construction is complete, its capacity will increase from 43,500 to 50,000.

It will have two covered stands, improved player and referee changing facilities, function and hospitality rooms, corporate boxes, medical rooms, a gym, and a restaurant.

A key part of the project is the development of a centre of excellence, to include an all-weather playing pitch, training facilities, and a small stand, on the former Showgrounds land.

Cork City Council acquired the land by way of a compulsory purchase order in 2006 to facilitate the development of Marina Park, a major public park to rival Dublin’s Phoenix Park.

Following talks with the GAA, the council agreed in principle in 2011 to dispose of more than six acres of the site to the GAA to facilitate the stadium revamp.

The GAA agreed to pay €249,000 per acre — well above a 2011 market valuation of €90,000 per acre.

However, while the County Board has reduced slightly the amount of land it now needs — from 6.82 acres to 6.4 acres — the agreed disposal price still stands.

If sanctioned on Monday, the deal will see the GAA forking out just over €1.59m for the land.

It is understood that the proceeds from the disposal will be reinvested back into the development of Marina Park.