O’Neill hoping for positive news on Casement Park redevelopment funding

First Minister Michelle O’Neill has said she is hoping for a positive announcement from the UK Government next week on funding for Casement Park.

The Sinn Fein vice president said she would wait to see what “quantum” the Treasury was willing to commit to help rebuild the derelict west Belfast GAA venue when it reveals the outcome of its spending review next Wednesday.

Ms O’Neill was commenting after a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn in Belfast during which the issue of Casement Park was discussed.

The First Minister said the period ahead of the spending review publication represented a “crunch week” for the future of the stalled redevelopment project, and also for the drive to secure an improved funding model for public services in Northern Ireland.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Ulster GAA held an awareness raising event at Westminster to brief MPs, peers and other political stakeholders about the association’s activities in Northern Ireland and the case for redeveloping Casement.

Earlier in the week, Ms O’Neill’s Sinn Fein colleague John O’Dowd, who is Stormont’s Finance Minister, struck an upbeat note on Casement Park after a meeting with Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones in London.

Mr O’Dowd said he believed the Government was in “solution-finding mode” when it came to achieving the redevelopment.

The Government has indicated that the review’s publication will be the juncture when it confirms whether or not it will make a financial contribution to the stadium project.

Plans for a 34,000-capacity venue remain mired in uncertainty because of a major funding gap of around £150 million.

Stormont ministers committed £62.5 million to Casement in 2011, as part of a strategy to revamp it along with football’s Windsor Park and the rugby ground at Ravenhill.

While the two other Belfast-based projects went ahead, the redevelopment of Casement was delayed for several years because of legal challenges by local residents. The estimated build cost spiralled in the interim.

With planning approval finally granted four years ago, the project, now estimated to cost around £270 million, has latterly been held up over a dispute over funding.

Speaking to reporters in Belfast after meeting Mr Benn, Ms O’Neill said it was vital the stadium was delivered.

She said: “We wanted to really underline the importance and the political significance of Casement Park being delivered, not least because it’s one of the outstanding stadium and this is something that’s going to be such a positive contribution to our local society here, and a great contribution to the GAA more generally.

“But this is something that’s long overdue and I look forward to this day next week, whenever we actually see the outworking of all of that, and we’ll understand more in more detail what it all looks like.

“But, crucially, we’re in a crunch week in terms of the ongoing discussions around public finances here and ensuring that we have properly-funded health and education, and every other public service that we have.”

The First Minister added: “We’re all going to have to wait until next week until the budget’s actually announced, but we’ve left them in no uncertain terms, and have done at every turn, how important Casement Park is.

“This is the outstanding stadium that needs to be delivered upon. This is going to bring major economic benefit and a huge lift to the GAA, and Ulster GAA in particular.

“So we’ve emphasised the case, and we obviously will work towards next Wednesday’s budget announcement, and hope for something positive from that.”

In September last year, the UK Government ended hopes that the west Belfast venue would host Euro 2028 soccer games when it said it would not bridge the funding gap to deliver the reconstruction in time.

In addition to the £62.5 million committed by Stormont, the Irish Government has offered roughly £42 million while the GAA has pledged to contribute at least £15 million.

While the UK Government has said it will decide if it will make a contribution to the build costs following the UK-wide spending review, Northern Ireland Secretary Mr Benn has made clear that even if the Treasury does divert money to the project, the sum will not alone bridge the current funding black hole.

Ulster GAA said its first official visit to Westminster on Wednesday had been very successful.

NIO Minister Fleur Anderson and Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock both attended the event, which was facilitated by Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood.

Ulster GAA said it had been encouraged by the “cross-party support” it received for the redevelopment of Casement Park.

Commenting on the visit, Michael Geoghegan, the president of Ulster GAA, said: “This was an important and timely visit to Westminster, providing us with an opportunity to engage directly with senior political figures on our impact as the largest sporting and cultural organisation on the island of Ireland with a growing presence in Britain and across the world.

“We received strong support for the work that we are doing across these islands, with the MPs we met affirming the need for the UK Government to make a meaningful investment in Casement Park and help ensure that the NI Executive finally delivers on its 14-year commitment to have the stadium redeveloped.

“We welcome the Secretary of State Hilary Benn’s commitment to see Casement Park built and we thank him for that assurance, but now is the time for the UK Government to deliver on that promise and make the necessary investment to honour its commitment and that of its predecessor.”