Ulster Council fear Casement Park won’t be revamped

There are concerns Casement Park will never be revamped after yesterday’s High Court ruling against the £77m, (€97m) 38,000-capacity redevelopment.

An artist’s impression of the revamped Casement Park.

Officials in the Ulster Council fear no work will be completed at the west Belfast venue after Mr Justice Horner deemed planning permission, which was granted by Northern Ireland’s Environment Minister Mark Durkan in December 2013, was “unlawful”.

After a legal challenge by local residents, Horner found the decision-making process to be “fundamentally flawed”.

While he will entertain further submissions from the Department of Environment, the GAA and the residents group before providing a final ruling, officials in Ulster believe they will not get the green light for the stadium they need and there is no suitable alternative. A further hearing will take place tomorrow.

The news could also be considered a blow for Ireland’s World Cup 2023 bid, which has factored in Casement Park as one of its host stadiums.

Tom Daly, former Ulster chairman, who heads the Casement Park Project Board, said the committee were “deeply disappointed” by the decision.

Speaking to RTÉ, he said: “It was a comprehensive finding against the Department of the Environment on a limited number of grounds of the judicial review application.

“From our own point of view, we were delighted that all of the requirements that have been asked of us by the planning authorities we were able to meet them. We got a very positive review from the ministerial advisory group in relation to the design of the stadium.”

However, the judge said: “There was no cogent evidence that it (Casement Park) was ever going to play host to crowds of 20,000 in the future never mind one of 32,600,” he stated.

He also deemed the effect of bigger crowds on the roads network close to the stadium had not been properly examined.

He raised police concerns about safety issues with a crowd of 38,000, although he stated Durkan had not been provided the opportunity to consider all relevant evidence prior to granting planning permission.

Durkan reacted: “I made what I said at the time was the right decision. I still stand by the decision I made on sound planning grounds. However, the judge has decided that is not the case.”

Central Council’s €15m contribution to Casement Park remains in place but the €65m commitment by the Stormont Executive is now under threat. It was revealed in court that nearly £5m of preliminary work will be lost if the scheme is halted. It’s estimated the delay in constructing the stadium is running at £60,000 per week.

The Antrim County Board are also without a home as work has already begun to dismantle the existing Casement Park. As part of an agreement, both Ravenhill and Windsor Park also received funding for redevelopment.