Clearance work at Casement Park GAA stadium begins

Preparation work has begun for the planned redevelopment of Casement Park stadium in west Belfast.

Although funding for the project has yet to be finalised, steps are being taken to try to ensure construction can begin immediately, if the money is secured.

The multi-million pound redeveloped stadium will be primarily used for GAA games.

But it is also due to host soccer matches in the Euro 2028 tournament.

The redevelopment must begin by summer - and be completed by mid-2027 - to meet a deadline set by the European football governing body Uefa.

Casement Park is one of 10 venues in the UK and Ireland chosen to host matches in the international tournament.

Uefa is monitoring the situation closely as the wait continues for building work to begin on the planned 34,500-capacity stadium.

In a letter to residents who live beside the site on Andersonstown Road, the GAA outlined the preparatory work due to take place in the coming months:

Residents were also told that work would take place from 08:00 to 18:00 GMT on weekdays, and 08:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays.

Kevin Sharkey, BBC News NI

As morning broke, two workers in high visibility vests were already inside the locked grounds.

Then at half-past eight, the gates of one of the main entrances onto the Andersonstown Road swung open to allow a works van onto the site, followed soon after by a second vehicle.

The gates were closed immediately but, through small gaps in the perimeter wall some workers could be seen taking measurements in the grounds.

A few, small, first on-site steps in a long journey to date, and a considerable journey still ahead.

As crowds gathered at Corrigan Park in west Belfast ahead of an Allianz League match between Antrim and Down on Sunday, BBC News NI asked GAA fans for their thoughts on the Casement redevelopment.

One underage player said it was "disappointing" not to have had the stadium built for her own generation.

"Casement Park has to be done," said another man who last watched an Ulster final at the stadium in 1968.

"I'd love to be there before I die to see another one," he added.

"The people of west Belfast realise the potential is there."

Confidence was high among spectators, with many convinced the as-yet-undecided funding for the stadium will be secured.

"It's inevitable that it's going to happen, there's no two ways about it," said one GAA fan.

"It's been a long, long time… I think it will happen. I definitely think it should go ahead this year and hopefully we'll have a stadium in two-and-a-half years that we can be proud of," another man added.

The initial cost of the stadium - £77.5m - has more than doubled in the past decade and there is no clarity yet on where the extra money is going to be found.

The GAA has said it is willing to pay at least £15m, with other funding coming from Stormont, plus the British and Irish governments.

There is no agreement yet on exactly how much each of the stakeholders is prepared to pay.

The redevelopment is being overseen by the Department for Communities.

Its minister, Gordon Lyons, has declined to comment on speculation that the estimated cost could now exceed £200m.

In spite of a decade of delays and uncertainty over the funding, the GAA remains committed to the project.

Tom Daly, Ulster GAA stadium board chairman, said the organisation was "delighted" to support the Irish FA by providing the stadium as a tournament venue.

"Casement Park will host some of the largest and most significant GAA games on the island and it will also be a seven-day-a-week hub that the whole community can access and enjoy," Mr Daly added.

Public money was promised to the project in 2011 as part of a scheme to improve sporting facilities for GAA, rugby and soccer in Northern Ireland.