Long suffering Antrim Gaels will be encouraged by a comment from Finance Minister, Conor Murphy that an initial £20 million should allow work to finally begin on Casement Park.
Conor Murphy made the comment in the Assembly chamber last night has he announced the Executive had signed off on a “difficult” draft budget for 2021/22.
It will see £20m allocated for Casement as part of a £1.75 billion capital spending programme that includes the projects such as the A5, A6 and a new mother and children’s hospital. Mr Murphy told MLAs the funding would “enable work to finally begin on Casement Park”.
The 34,578-seater stadium originally had a budget of £77m, with the GAA pledging £15m but the projected cost is now believed to be in the region of £110m. Former Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín previously suggested the GAA would have to increase its contribution.
A Stormont source last night played that down however, stating that as a flagship project, the stadium project would largely be funded by the Executive.
Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon indicated in October that she would recommend planning approval for the new Casement stadium. But planning approval has not yet been awarded for the project.
A Department for Infrastructure (DfI) spokeswoman said last night: “Both the Council and the applicant have written to confirm that they agree with the notice to approve and work continues to complete the planning process. As with the soccer and rugby stadiums, funding is critical for construction.”
The Department for Communities (DfC) said it is working with the Ulster Council and the Department of Finance to finalise a business case. However that document will remain in draft form until the planning process is concluded.
The announcement will be viewed with a deal of scepticism in some quarters however given the delays that have preceded the Antrim flagship project.
The Finance Minister announced that Stormont’s Covid response pot will stand at £538m in 2021/22, down from £3bn in the current year. Most of that will go to health and education, with £126.9m left for other interventions, limiting the scope for economic intervention.
Conor Murphy said the block grant from the Treasury effectively left Stormont with “a standstill” budget for departments from April.