Casement Park rebuild facing another setback

An artist's impression of the proposed stadium which would have a capacity of 34,500

The planned redevelopment of Ulster GAA's flagship stadium, Casement Park in Belfast, is facing another setback.

The Buckingham Group, based in Stowe, is one of the lead contractors on the 34,500-seater Casement Park.

In a statement, the Buckingham Group said the board has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators, but was not in administration.

Ulster GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) said it was monitoring the situation closely.

It said it was "assessing what affect (if any) this may have on the future delivery of our project".

The governing body of Gaelic games in Ulster added "we remain fully focused on work commencing on site early next year".

The Buckingham Group said it was unable to continue trading at this time, citing rapidly-escalating contract losses and a sharp reduction in liquidity.

It said it was exploring a sale of all or part of the business.

Heron Buckingham JV, a consortium with Draperstown-based Heron Brothers was awarded the contract to develop the stadium in 2013.

The Buckingham Group is involved in the redevelopment of Liverpool FC's Anfield stadium.

A spokesperson for the Department of Communities said it was working with the Ulster GAA as it "continues its assessment of any potential issues".

Chris Heaton-Harris has previously indicated the UK government is prepared to consider helping to fund the project

It is also contracted to refurbish the lower tiers of the Tilton and Kop stands at Birmingham City's St Andrew's stadium.

The redeveloped Casement Park stadium will cost at least £110m, and has been included in a bid by the UK and Ireland to host the 2028 European Football Championship.

It will be used primarily for GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) games as well as other sports and concerts.

Future funding

In an interview with BBC News NI in May, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris indicated the government is prepared to consider making a financial contribution to the project, if the bid by the UK and Ireland to host the 2028 European Football Championship is successful.

Casement Park timeline

• 2013 - Planning permission for 38,000 capacity stadium

• 2014 - Planning approval quashed

• 2015 - Review of how project was handled

• 2017 - Application for smaller 34,500 capacity stadium

• 2020 - Infrastructure minister backs planning approval

• 2021 - Planning approval confirmed

• 2022 - Residents' group loses challenge against plans

Political difficulties

The funding of the Casement Park stadium is complicated by the fact that the Northern Ireland Executive at Stormont is currently not functioning.

The GAA agreed to pay £15m towards the initial cost of the stadium, saying it was their maximum contribution.