In pursuance of the committee’s decision of 5th January, to receive deputations from the following organisations:
· Mooreland and Owenvarragh Residents’ Association
· Gaels for Casement
· Faite Feirste Thiar
· Andersonstown Regeneration Committee
· West Belfast Partnership Board
Minutes:
Mooreland and Owenvarragh
Residents’ Association
Ms. C. McCavana, Mr. T Dignan and Ms. AM Hughes, representing the abovementioned Association, were then invited to address the Committee.
Ms. McCavana advised that the Association had been founded in January, 2012 following a public meeting. She indicated that the organisation was not against a new stadium but wished to see a suitably sized redevelopment of the stadium which was GAA orientated, no concerts, which was safe, which was part of the natural fabric of the community and which had an appropriate mass and scale for the area.
Mr. Dignan referred to the presentation which the Association had circulated to the Committee and drew the Members’ attention to the following key points:
· The GAA’s requirement for a provincial stadium was best satisfied at a different location;
· On the Casement Park site, a smaller stadium, dedicated to GAA events:
o would be less expensive
o would lever many, if not all, of the purported wider social benefits; and
o would mitigate the range of social and environmental impacts.
The Association had had a long standing policy position that, in sporting terms, the site could fit a stadium with a capacity of between 20,000 – 25,000 persons. Since that policy position had been set, there had been a number of developments in relation to issues around safe evacuation.
He referred to a map of the local area around Casement Park which showed the ground fronted by the Andersonstown Road and, on the remaining three sides, by residential properties which abutted right up against the stadium. That created a set of constraints in relation to access to and egress from the ground.
Mr. Dignan referred also to the proposed costs which indicated that Casement Park would require public funding of £62.5 million, which could be used for other services. The Gross Value Added (GVA), as indicated in the Deloitte report, was approximately £1.7 million per annum, which was only 0.004% of the Northern Ireland total GVA, which for the 37 jobs was a net cost of £1.7 million per job.
In conclusion, he stated that the Association was aware that west Belfast contained areas of high social and economic deprivation and there was a need for interventions across a range of dimensions. The argument which the Association was making was that those needs, in the specific context of Casement Park, were best addressed by a smaller scale stadium.
The deputation then answered a number of questions from the Members.
Gaels for Casement
Mr. B White and Ms. J. Adams, representing Gaels for Casement, were then invited to address the Committee.
Mr. White explained that Gaels for Casement was a grass roots organisation made up entirely of local GAA members. It had been established following the first Judicial Review which had halted the redevelopment of Casement Park. It was formed specifically to give voice to local Gaels to support Casement Park, to raise the profile of Casement within clubs and to campaign for a fit for purpose facility. The organisation had secured the support of every club in Belfast and had led the campaign #buildcasement.
Ms Adams outline her sporting achievements and their relationship to playing at Casement Park. She stated that the Gaelic sports needed Casement Park and the new proposal, together with the extensive consultation, from the GAA was to be welcomed.
The deputation then left the table.
FailteFeirste Thiar
The Chairperson welcomed to the meeting Mr. H. Connolly and Mr. K. Gamble.
Mr. Connolly outlined the purpose, role and strategic objectives of Failte Feirste Thiar and the long standing relationship with the GAA in promoting games to locals and visitors alike. He highlighted that Casement Park had for decades attracted high volumes of tourists to Belfast and he provided examples of events in this regard. He referred to the Windsor Park and Ravenhill developments and the transformative impact they had generated and that Casement Park was the final piece in the stadia puzzle.
He expressed the view that Casement Park had the potential to transform west Belfast from a positive social, community, cultural and economic perspective and would provide employment. Mr Connolly outlined the work undertaken by Failte Feirste Thiar with other stakeholders to focus on maximising economic tourism at the local level and how Casement Park would complement this. He referred also to visits undertaken to other cities and a seminar hosted by his organisation which showed how stadia and the community could live and function together and how it could complement and drive the city economy.
In conclusion, he expressed support for the development and requested the Council to support it and then left the table.
Andersonstown Regeneration Committee
Mr. M. O’Hara representing the Andersonstown Regeneration Committee (ARC) was welcomed to the meeting.
He outlined the purpose of the organisation and how it had been established following the decision to reject the first planning application for Casement Park. He explained that it had been formed to be a positive voice to support the delivery of strategic regeneration initiatives in the Andersonstown area. The members of ARC were made up of local residents and the wider Andersonstown community, many of whom lived beside Casement.
Throughout its existence, ARC had engaged many times with many bodies to share enthusiasm and support for the project. The group was aware and acknowledged a number of the concerns which had been raised. It had met with the Project Board to discuss size, scale and safety and hoped the planned amendments being proposed would address those concerns.
Mr. O’Hara explained that the stadium provided a great opportunity for community participation and involvement in the facility and how it could be used. Should the stadium proceed, it was anticipated that there would be continued engagement to understand how that use could be maximised for the community.
He concluded by highlighting the need for the investment in the Andersonstown area and stated that, on behalf of the group, the hope that the stadium would be endorsed and he left the table.
West Belfast Partnership Board
Mr. Girvan representing the Board, was welcomed to the meeting.
He commenced by outlining the role and purpose of the Board and how Casement Park fitted within its strategic aims. He stated that the Board recognised the benefits that the residents of west Belfast would get from Casement through health, employment and education and, in particular, saw it as a catalyst for young people to tackle health inequalities for the future.
The Board had recently completed a Social Investment Fund employability programme and recognised the employment opportunities Casement would provide to allow young people to build skills and capacity through apprenticeships and work placements and full time employment and how this linked to the Councils Leisure Transformation Programme and the Belfast Agenda.
Mr. Girvan then left the table.
After discussion, the Committee agreed that:
Belfast City Council welcomes this considerable investment in a further modern stadium in the city. This is a vital part of our sporting infrastructure and we welcome the impact it will have on sport, the economy and jobs.
In making this strategic corporate statement we understand that the planning process is there to ensure that planning policy and concerns and aspirations of residents and others are considered in depth and that we are a statutory consultee to that process. We have and will continue to input to that process through our planning team and the Planning Committee.