Planning green light granted to Dalymount revamp

REVAMP: All that’s left for dated Dalymount Park to become an 8,000 rebuild is State funding after the final planning phase was hurdled on Monday night.

All that’s left for dated Dalymount Park to become an 8,000 rebuild is State funding after the final planning phase was hurdled on Monday night.

Branding the successful Part 8 planning application as “hugely significant”, Bohemians called on the State’s powerbrokers to financially support the €42m revamp of the historic venue.

Dublin City Council’s councillors tonight pledged their backing to a stadium that will house two stands of 6,240 seats complemented by two terraces accommodating 1,794 standing spectators.

The footprint will also have club offices, bar and merchandise store, modern-day facilities as well as a public thoroughfare along the eastern boundary connecting North Circular Road and Connaught Street to include various eateries and a new public plaza.

Lastly, there’ll be community facility with an 585sq.m area of over two floors to include a multi-functional community room and a community gym.

Daniel Lambert, Bohemian FC COO, said: “Dalymount Park has hosted thousands of football games, enjoyed by millions of supporters, continuously since 1901, while also being an integral part of the general sporting, cultural and societal fabric of Dublin City.

“It has, however, long passed its capability to provide an appropriate, safe and modern facility for football and community use.

“Despite this Dalymount Park remains sold-out every Friday, a testament to the strength of our club in its community.

“We have engaged extensively with DCC since their acquisition of the stadium in 2015 and thank them for their considerable efforts to get us to this point.

“We would also like to put on record our gratitude to various ministers for their engagement with the club over the years, in particular the strong support of Minister Paschal Donohoe and the crossparty support and engagement of many local TDs and councillors throughout the process.

“With planning now, we call on the government to ensure that the appropriate funding mechanism is in place to enable progression to the construction phase.

“As we have seen across capital projects with levels of inflation, any delays to the process can cause significant complications and ultimately add cost to the exchequer.”

Bohemians plan to spend the construction phase at nearby Tolka Park but Shelbourne won’t be returning to the spanking new stadium after they withdrew from the co-tenant plan last year to concentrate on modernising their ground.