Casement Park to cost 'significantly' less, says GAA president

An artist's impression of the planned Casement Park stadium in Belfast

The proposed development of Casement Park will be "basic and modest" but will still cater to more than 30,000 fans, the president of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has said.

Jarlath Burns made the comment after meeting the Communities Minister Gordon Lyons.

He also said the GAA are now seeking a meeting with the Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn.

Earlier on Thursday, Benn had said that it is for the Northern Ireland Executive to decide how to take the redevelopment of Casement Park forward.

'Significantly smaller cost'

Jarlath Burns said he "remains confident in Hilary Benn and what he can produce"

Mr Burns said the GAA has had a "relook at the type of stadium that is going to be built, based on the fact that we're not getting the Euros anymore".

"It's a significantly smaller cost because we've taken a lot of the fitout away from it to try and make it as small a cost to the public purse as possible.

"We have managed to retain the number of people who will fit into it, while having it to a lower specification," Mr Burns said.

The GAA president told BBC News NI it would be unhelpful to discuss specific costs ahead of the tendering process.

"We are very confident in what we have done with regard to the reduced costs and I know that the minister, as a result of what he heard today, is still very committed to the project and feels strongly that it can be delivered," he added.

Plans to redevelop the stadium in time for the Euro 2028 football tournament were halted last month.

The UK government said that the estimated cost of rebuilding Casement Park stadium in Belfast had "risen dramatically" to more than £400m.

It said it would not be providing funding to redevelop the stadium in time for the tournament, adding that there was a "significant risk" it would not be built in time.

On Wednesday, a £1.5bn package of extra funding for Stormont was announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The secretary of state said: "The executive now has more money and it can spend it on a range of priorities, it's a devolved government, they make the choices, we provide the funding."

Speaking to BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme, Benn said "what everyone had been planning for in respect of the Euros has gone". "It wasn’t possible, so what does the revised plan look like?" he asked.

He blamed the previous government for the fact that the stadium would no longer be built in time for the Euros, saying it was part of a "toxic legacy" they left behind.

Speaking later, Benn said he welcomed reports of a revised proposal, and looked forward to hearing more.

Benn also said he was not in a position to “make a commitment today” and would need to know more about the proposition “including what the cost is”.

Benn blamed the "toxic legacy" left behind by the Tories for the incompletion of Casement Park

Analysis - Enda McClafferty - BBC NI Political Editor

To borrow a phrase from another code it feels like Hilary Benn is getting "off side" in the Casement Park saga.

For him it is now a problem for Stormont ministers to resolve.

On the surface it is easy for him to walk away.

Providing the extra cash to redevelop the stadium was after all a Tory party promise linked to Euro 2028.

It was also an executive commitment with £62m set aside.

He could further argue that London didn't help pay for the soccer and rugby stadia improvements included in the same package.

But as one source suggested the secretary of state isn't so much stepping away as "dampening" any expectation that London will make up the funding shortfall.

Before then the GAA will likely have to scale back its plans to make the stadium fit the budget.