Casement Park redevelopment costs could exceed £140m - Givan

The cost of the proposed new Casement Park stadium in west Belfast could be more than £140m, First Minister Paul Givan has suggested.

Earlier, the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) estimated the cost could be more than £110m.

Planning permission for the 34,500-capacity stadium was granted on Wednesday.

The GAA hopes work can be completed by summer 2024. Funding for the long-running project has yet to be agreed.

Mr Givan's comment would place the cost at almost double the original estimate of £77.5m, the majority of which was to come from the Stormont Executive.

The GAA has insisted it does not intend to increase its £15m contribution.

On Thursday, Mr Givan told BBC News NI: "That figure of £110m is based upon 2019.

"We are looking at around a 25% inflationary figure for capital projects and so if you put that on to Casement Park, you may well be looking at more like a £140m or £150m price tag."

Asked if he would still support the project, he said: "In principle, Casement Park should be redeveloped but I think it would be churlish of any government not to be looking at all the costs associated with capital projects."

Mr Givan said no decisions could be made until the price of the project was worked out.

Earlier, Stephen McGeehan, head of operations at Ulster GAA, told BBC News NI: "It will be more than £110m, there's no question about that because those costs are based on summer 2019.

"Clearly we're now two years further on from that so costs have increased.

"The final cost will be determined in the business case."

The GAA hopes some work can begin on the new stadium before the end of the year, with major construction work starting in the first half of 2022.

Discussing the organisation's contribution to the cost of the project, Mr McGeehan said: "Clearly this is a very challenging time for the public sector, but it's also very challenging for organisations like the GAA.

"We reduced our income last year by something of the circa of €60m (£51m). We're due to have shortfalls in our budgets this year.

"People should also remember this is an executive programme.

"Soccer have had their strategic requirements delivered at Windsor Park, similarly at Ravenhill [for rugby], and we congratulate them for that, and we now have waited an awful long time for that to happen for the GAA."

As well as the financial issues, another difficulty facing the Casement Park project is potential legal action by a group of residents opposed to the new stadium.

They have in the past argued that the stadium is too large to be built in a heavily-populated area.

Planning permission for a 38,000-seater stadium was granted in 2013 but later overturned as a result of a judicial review.

Since then, the design of the proposed stadium has been changed and the capacity reduced.

The GAA said it was now going to hold a "brand new community engagement programme".

Mr McGeehan said: "We are going to meet with all of the local community, we're going to meet with all local businesses, all local residents, we're going to put our case back to them."

He said he believed the project would have long-term economic, community and social benefits, and create jobs in the area.

The west Belfast residents' group which has been campaigning against the new stadium has so far made no comment about the granting of planning permission.