Northern Ireland

Casement Park - a timeline

Casement Park in Andersonstown, west Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann
Casement Park in Andersonstown, west Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann Casement Park in Andersonstown, west Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann

2006: Plans unveiled to build a new 42,500-seater stadium for soccer, rugby, and Gaelic games at the site of the former Maze prison, with the provisional backing of the GAA.

January 2009: DUP sports minister Gregory Campbell scraps Maze stadium plan in favour of the three main sports' ruling bodies developing their own stadium proposals.

March/April 2009: Ulster GAA proposes Casement Park is upgraded, accommodating 40,000 fans.

March 2011: Stormont agrees funding for major upgrades to three Belfast sports grounds - Casement, Ravenhill and Windsor.

December 2013: SDLP environment minister Mark H Durkan grants planning approval for 38,000-capacity Casement stadium.

December 2014: High Court quashes Casement planning approval after residents' legal challenge.

April 2015: Safety expert tells Stormont committee he faced "undue pressure" to approve the plans and accuses departmental officials of bullying.

August 2015: A report describes "broken" relationships behind the scenes of the Casement plans, and makes a series of recommendations on reviving the project.

February 2017: Ulster GAA submits its revised Casement planning application with a reduced capacity of around 34,000.

December 2018: New business case submitted by Ulster GAA to Department for Communities on the Casement project, with estimated cost of around £110m.

October 2020: Infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon recommends approval for the redevelopment of the stadium.

July 2021:- Casement Park stadium given formal approval.