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Casement Park: Safety expert takes case against Sport NI

<span style=" font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Safety expert Paul Scott told a Stormont committee he was put under pressure to approve plans for Casement Park. Picture by BBC</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;
Safety expert Paul Scott told a Stormont committee he was put under pressure to approve plans for Casement Park. Picture by BBC   Safety expert Paul Scott told a Stormont committee he was put under pressure to approve plans for Casement Park. Picture by BBC  

A SAFETY expert who raised serious concerns about GAA plans to redevelop Casement Park is taking a case against his employers.

The employment tribunal for Paul Scott against Sport NI was scheduled to begin in Belfast on Monday and continue until Friday.

However, it's understood the case may not go ahead as planned after discussions late last week between legal representatives.

Sport NI, an arms length public body aimed at encouraging participation in sport, last night declined to comment.

Mr Scott is the former chair of the Safety Technical Group that advised on plans to construct a new GAA stadium at Casement Park in west Belfast.

In April last year he told a Stormont committee he faced "undue pressure" to approve the proposals and accused Stormont departmental officials of bullying.

He said the proposed 38,000-seat stadium could not be evacuated safely and warned of a potential tragedy similar to the Hillsborough disaster.

The GAA, which intends to submit a fresh planning application later this year, has strongly rejected the claims.

For years the plans to redevelop Casement have been hit with problems and delays.

Planning permission was overturned in 2014 after a High Court judge ruled it was unlawful following a legal challenge by residents.

Funding for the £77m project is mostly coming from public finances, with around £6m already spent even though construction has not yet started.

The initial plans for the redevelopment of Casement Park in west Belfast
The initial plans for the redevelopment of Casement Park in west Belfast The initial plans for the redevelopment of Casement Park in west Belfast

Sport NI has also for years been plagued with its own problems.

Its chief executive Antoinette McKeown has been suspended from her role since March last year following a series of grievances being lodged both by her and against her.

She has remained in that position ever since, and the organisation currently has an interim chief executive.

Nine of Sport NI's 14 board members resigned in July last year.

The chair and vice-chair also stood down in March after an internal investigation showed more than a third of Sport NI staff claimed to have experienced bullying, harassment or humiliation.

In May last year it emerged that Mr Scott took a grievance case against Ms McKeown about how his concerns over Casement had been handled. Documents given to MLAs showed his grievance was upheld.

Speaking at the time on behalf of Ms McKeown, Kevin McAdam from the union Unite said she believed she had acted in "good faith, in the proper manner with the structures that are in Sport NI".

He added that Sport NI itself had said no action was required.

Last month Ms McKeown said she was still awaiting a formal explanation from Sport NI for her continued suspension from her post.