DUP shelves plan for stadium on Maze prison site

Plans for a national stadium for the North on the site of the former Maze prison have been put on hold by the DUP.

Members want a rethink and some believe existing stadia could be upgraded with less cost than the multi-million pound facility.

A battle has raged for months between Lisburn and Belfast members, with Belfast City Council campaigning for a multi-sports stadium within its boundaries.

The venue would cater for football, rugby and GAA and is a key demand of Sinn Féin.

Yesterday Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said the site's tourism potential as a former prison was immense.

However, First Minister Ian Paisley is unhappy with a centre for conflict and reconciliation, championed by republicans, afraid it will become a "shrine" for terrorism.

The DUP believes the national football and rugby grounds at Windsor Park and Ravenhill could be upgraded, without the need for massive private investment to cover a new national stadium's construction costs.

This would clash with the party's Sports Minister, Edwin Poots, who imposed a June deadline for alternatives to the Maze, which lies within his Lagan Valley constituency. Opposition within his party is believed to be significant.

A Sinn Féin spokesman said: "It would provide a lot of tourism for the north and you only have to look at the impact made by Robben Island in South Africa.

"Going back on this … would not be in the interests of the community."

The DUP's Peter Robinson holds the finance ministry and any proposal on the Maze would require cross-party consent.

Direct rule ministers initiated a review of 12 sites across the North which arguably favoured the former Long Kesh prison.

The facility would be built on 60 acres and would house up to 40,000 people.

It would also be used for concerts and exhibitions. Much of the left over land could be dedicated to housing and there were also plans for an equestrian centre and public park.

The Maze would need substantial investment to upgrade transport links to the M1 motorway and the Belfast to Dublin rail line.

There would also be planning hurdles and land on the former MoD site, which has been given to the ministerial executive, would need to be decontaminated.

Linfield has warned it may have to be compensated for the loss of international football if the shift goes ahead.

The head of Ulster rugby has said the facility could not be filled with fans, with the average gate around 10-12,000 at major fixtures.

The GAA could fill it but on a limited number of occasions while football attendance levels also fall far below 35,000.