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Casement report reveals chaos behind stadium project

Plans for the redevelopment of Casement Park in west Belfast
Plans for the redevelopment of Casement Park in west Belfast

A HIGH-level report has laid bare the chaos, tensions and "broken" relationships between officials working behind the scenes on botched plans to redevelop Casement Park.

A review led by the British Cabinet Office has concluded that an "independent mediator" is needed to repair the damage - meaning that it could take at least another year before a new planning application for the GAA stadium can be submitted.

The report was commissioned following serious safety concerns raised over proposals to build a 38,000-seat GAA stadium on the site in west Belfast.

Safety expert Paul Scott claimed he faced "undue pressure" to approve the proposals and accused Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure officials of bullying.

He told a Stormont committee in April that the proposed 38,000-seat stadium could not be evacuated safely and warned of a potential tragedy similar to the Hillsborough disaster.

Mr Scott is chair of the Safety Technical Group which advises on safety issues for the £77 million stadium design in west Belfast.

The report released yesterday revealed how no notes were exchanged for key meetings on the design and in some cases none were recorded.

Attendance at meetings of the safety group by Stormont officials, the GAA and the contractor was also described as "inconsistent".

The review recommends that senior officials from key posts in the stadium project - including Mr Scott - should be replaced.

Ulster GAA insisted the report was a "clear vindication of the premium which the GAA attached to the development of a new safe stadium on the Casement Park site".

Work on the stadium was supposed to start this year, but planning permission was overturned in the High Court in December after a judge ruled it was unlawful following legal action by residents.

Stormont Culture, Arts and Leisure committee member and DUP MLA William Humphrey described the handling of the Casement project as "shambolic" and said the minister "must take responsibility for what has happened under her watch".

But Sinn Féin sports minister and North Belfast MLA Carál Ní Chuilín last night defended her role.

"I have taken the recommendations of the report on the chin, I will implement them fully – I'll have Casement Park redeveloped," she said.