Government pledges additional £50m for redevelopment of Casement Park in Belfast
The Government have pledged £50m of additional funding for the redevelopment of Casement Park.
The money was announced as part of UK-wide spending review.
Stormont ministers committed £62.5million to Casement in 2011, as part of a strategy to revamp it along with football's Windsor Park and the rugby ground at Ravenhill.
While the two other Belfast-based projects went ahead, the redevelopment of Casement was delayed for several years because of legal challenges by local residents. The estimated build cost spiralled in the interim.
The Irish Government has offered roughly £42 million while the GAA has pledged to contribute at least £15m.
However, even with the additional funding from Westminster, it is still thought to leave a funding gap of around £100m for Casement Park.
The extra money has been welcomed by First Minister Michelle O'Neill.
'Casement Park is an Executive flagship project and is more than just a sporting venue — it will serve as an economic driver for the surrounding communities and region, creating jobs and attracting investment,' she said.
'Today's commitment of substantial funding from the British government marks an enormous step forward. It is time for all of us to pull together to now get Casement built.'
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