Casement Park: GAA unveils fresh plan for west Belfast stadium

An aerial view of the proposed stadium at Casement Park

Fresh plans for a controversial stadium at Casement Park, west Belfast, have been unveiled by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).

The new stadium has a proposed capacity of 34,500 - down by 3,500 on original plans.

The GAA said it was aiming to work within the original budget of £76m and the stadium should open by 2019 in time for the following year's Ulster finals.

The GAA said the plan showed its willingness to "engage and listen".

The new, height, scale and capacity are all reduced from the previous design, the GAA said.

The GAA wants to introduce a travel culture change to ease access to and from the new stadium and to meet the needs of the local community

Tom Daly, chairman of the Casement Park Project Board, said the GAA was committed to delivering a "travel culture change".

This means the inclusion of coach travel and park and ride facilities, as well as integrated travel choices with ticket sales.

"This strategy is good for ease of access to and from the stadium, is cognisant of the needs and views of the local community and is good for the wider environment," he said.

Michael Hasson, Ulster GAA president, said: "GAA members and supporters, as well as people across the local community, are looking forward to an exciting new beginning for Antrim and a provincial stadium for Ulster.

"We want to create a positive sporting legacy and iconic stadium that will be a beacon to inspire young GAA players throughout west Belfast, Antrim and across Ulster."

An aerial view of the old Casement Park stadium

The multi-million pound Casement Park project has been beset with problems and delays.

Planning permission for the sports stadium was overturned in 2014 after objections by local residents.

A whistleblower, safety expert Paul Scott, claimed he was bullied when he raised concerns that, under the initial plans, the stadium could not be evacuated safely in emergencies.