A DOCUMENT has emerged showing that the chairman of a Stormont inquiry into safety issues at Casement Park was supportive of a 40,000-capacity ground in west Belfast, it has been claimed.
DUP assembly member Nelson McCausland was sports minister in 2010 when he gave a briefing paper to the culture, arts and leisure (Dcal) committee including a recommendation for "complete redevelopment of Casement Park to a maximum spectator capacity of 40,000".
Officials are taking legal advice after calls from Sinn Féin and the SDLP for him to step aside as chairman of the committee's inquiry into plans for a new 38,000-stadium on the Andersonstown Road.
It emerged yesterday that Mr McCausland sent a detailed background briefing paper to the Dcal committee for consideration in 2010, with a signed cover letter.
It revealed that consultants were brought in by Sports NI in October 2009 to look at an "outline business case" for stadium development for rugby, GAA and soccer.
The document states that "best practice in terms of health and safety at the sporting venues was also considered" by the Oversight Steering Group (OSG).
At that stage, "with regard" to this among other factors, the group "concluded the most economically advantageous option" for Casement Park was redevelopment to a maximum 40,000 capacity on the same site.
According to the briefing paper, "the work done to date represents a detailed and rigorous analysis of not only the stadium options put forward by the governing bodies but also a range of variations on the options and alternative options".
Sport NI's Paul Scott, who was chairman of the Safety Technical Group considering stadium design, told assembly members earlier this year he had been warning for years that fans within the stadium may not be able to get out safely in the event of a major incident.
Mr Scott told the Dcal committee that pressure allegedly put on him from the department to approve the plans amounted to "bullying".
According to Sinn Féin assembly member Cathal Ó hOisín, the emergence of the letter and attached paper has made Mr McCausland's position untenable.
"Nelson McCausland was Minister for Culture Arts and Leisure until March 2011 and at that time he expressed explicit satisfaction with a 40,000 capacity stadium at Casement," he said.
"He is now a substantive witness to the committee inquiry into the Casement Park project.
"As such, it is entirely inappropriate for him to continue to chair that inquiry.
"Nelson McCausland acknowledged at this morning's committee meeting that he has a interest in this as a former minister. It is therefore inappropriate that he should chair this enquiry and he should do the honourable thing and step down."
SDLP assembly member Karen McKevitt also said the former minister must step aside.
"In my opinion, there is simply no way in which Nelson McCausland can be permitted to preside over this investigation," she said.
"He was minister of Dcal when the business case for a 40,000-seater stadium was signed off.
"He evidently has a conflict of interest, and far from investigating this situation Mr McCausland should be called as a witness to the inquiry."
Mr McCausland has denied there is any conflict of interest, but department officials are taking legal advice on the issue.
It is expected to take "a number of weeks", with the former minister remaining in post until then.
His DUP colleague Gordon Dunne accused Sinn Féin and the SDLP of "circling the the wagons, the green wagons, on every opportunity to try and frustrate this inquiry".
