Ulster GAA today launched details of a robust engagement framework in advance of the submission of its planning application towards a redeveloped Provincial Stadium at Casement Park.

Launching the start of the new planning application process Tom Daly, Chairman of the Casement Park Project Board commented: “We wish to thank everyone for their support as we look forward to a new stadium at Casement Park.   Essentially what we are announcing today is the launch of an entirely new process that will inform the design and build of a new stadium.  There will be two phases to the engagement framework, phase 1 forms the technical scoping exercise.  During the second phase, a 20 week community consultation period, we are looking forward to hearing from local residents and interested members of the community, businesses, arts and cultural organisations and sporting bodies on our proposals. 

“We are still in the early stages, with the consultation and technical evaluations set to inform the stadium design at a later stage. The GAA is a proud community organisation, embedded in communities and open to everyone. The GAA is volunteer driven and thrives on community spirit, the Casement Park project therefore represents for us an opportunity to invest in a community which we are proud to be a part of.  It has been the home of Antrim GAA since 1953 and we are excited at the prospect of it also becoming the home of Ulster GAA. This will be a facility everyone in the local area, all of Belfast, Antrim and Ulster can be proud of.”

The capacity of the Provincial Stadium is not pre-determined. Rather a proposed capacity will emerge following completion of the Environmental Impact Assessment, public consultation and consultation with statutory consultees and key stakeholders such as the Safety Technical Group, PSNI and others. Until these consultation processes are complete and detailed Environmental, Transport and Socio Economic Assessments are complete, the specific capacity for the Provincial Stadium simply cannot be determined.

The first phase in the process is developing and agreeing a scoping exercise with the Belfast City Council. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the proposed redevelopment will identify key topics for assessment as well as other reports and information with an Environmental Statement being submitted to Belfast City Council in support of the proposals and to assist in the determination of the application.

Following the environmental scoping the GAA will launch phase two - a comprehensive 20 week Pre-Application Community Consultation (PACC) programme to seek views across all elements of the new Provincial Stadium with local stakeholders, interest groups, local residents, the wider GAA and other relevant stakeholder groups such as business, arts, social and sporting bodies.

Additional experienced and highly respected individuals have been added to the project team including Rory Miskelly, who is now the Project Director for Casement Park.   Rory has previously been involved in major capital projects including the delivery of Titanic Belfast and the new stadia at Ravenhill and Windsor Park.

Rory commented on the launch “It is great to see the start of this new process.  It is fantastic project which can see the delivery of a new landmark facility in Belfast.  It is a complex project to deliver, involving a wide number of team members and project partners but we have an excellent team to do so.  We have outlined today the forthcoming steps for the pre consultation and consultation periods which will ultimately lead to a new planning submission.”

If you wish to receive a copy of the working document please email enquiries@casementpark.ie

ENDS

For further information please contact: Claire Aiken  07831 717535  claire@aikenpr.comor Vincent Lundy 07526 766017 vincent@aikenpr.com0r Aiken PR office 02890663000

Notes for Editors1. The previous planning application has been withdrawn. The new planning application will now supersede any earlier application.

2. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is the process of compiling, evaluating and presenting all the likely significant environmental effects of a proposed development. The need to undertake an assessment is governed by EC Directive 2011/92/EU as amended by Council Directive 2014/52/EU  These Directives have been implemented in Northern Ireland under the terms of the Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 (the 2015 Regulations).

3. This Environmental Scoping Report (ESR) identifies the main environmental effects identified for the construction and operational phases of the development. It identifies key topics for assessment as well as other reports and information that will be submitted in support of the proposals and to assist the decision maker in determination of the application. The purpose of the report is to assist the decision maker and other stakeholders to identify the issues to be included in the ES.  It is an important part of the technical process and designed to stimulate discussion and collaboration with those authorities likely to have an interest in the proposed development due to their specific environmental responsibilities. While aiming to identify the full range of topics for inclusion in the ES it is not definitive.  The report will be circulated to stakeholders and consultees for any additional issues to be identified and added to the scope of the EIA prior to formal preparation and submission of the ES. Additional issues may also need to be added following the pre-application community consultation and in response to any evolution of the scheme in light of that consultation. The information contained within the report is the product of on-going site surveys and analysis and may be amended or added to during the process.