RESIDENTS have urged the GAA to "call a halt and think again" after it emerged police expressed concerns over fresh redevelopment plans for Casement Park.
The Irish News revealed on Monday that the PSNI had warned of an "unacceptable risk" in emergency evacuation proposals for the west Belfast stadium.
In an email an officer said the risk of injury would be "greatly increased" by proposals to use the Stockman's Lane area to clear crowds.
The correspondence was sent in November – weeks after the GAA unveiled a new proposed stadium design.
Ulster GAA intended to submit a fresh planning application in 2016, but the date has slipped to the "early weeks of 2017".
A spokesman said "significant progress" has been made and it is "confident of resolving all aspects pertaining to safety".
For years efforts to redevelop Casement Park have been plagued with problems and delays.
Planning approval for the original design was overturned in 2014 after the High Court ruled it was unlawful.
In 2015 a safety expert told a Stormont committee the proposed stadium could not be evacuated safely in certain emergencies and warned of the potential for a tragedy like the Hillsborough disaster – a claim strongly rejected by the GAA.
Fresh design proposals were unveiled in October with a reduced height and capacity of 34,500 – 3,500 lower than the original plans.
But residents behind the previous legal challenge remain opposed, saying it is "not a significant reduction".
Tony Dignan, of the Mooreland and Owenvarragh Residents Association, said the police concerns were unsurprising.
"From the outset, the GAA's problems have stemmed from the fact that what they are proposing is quite simply too large in scale, given the very constrained nature of the site, which is hemmed in on three sides by residential properties," he said.
"At this stage, it really is time for the GAA to call a halt and think again. Redevelop Casement Park as a county ground – Antrim needs a home – and look somewhere else for a provincial stadium, if that is really what is needed."
Funding for the £77m project is mostly coming from public finances, with the GAA aiming to finish construction by 2019.
Ulster GAA has said it is "working closely and positively" with emergency service officials "in an ongoing process to deliver a safe, secure and iconic new provincial stadium at Casement Park".
Minister set to 'call in' Casement Park plans
SINN Féin infrastructure minister Chris Hazzard is minded to 'call in' the new Casement Park planning application, his department has said.
The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) had previously suggested the planning bid would be decided upon by Belfast City Council.
But in a letter to residents, a DfI official said the minister may make the decision instead.
"I can advise that the minister for infrastructure has indicated that he is minded to call in the application for the redevelopment of Casement Park if and when the application is submitted to Belfast City Council," he said.
Planning approval for the original stadium design was overturned in the High Court in 2014.
Last year a council official told residents that under new planning structures the old application would not be considered 'regionally significant'.
He said applications of regional significance are submitted directly to DfI, but are otherwise dealt with by the council unless 'called in' for determination by the department.
