A problematic £400m stadium project in Northern Ireland is closer to finally getting underway, after the first steps were taken by the client to find a contractor to clear the site.
The Ulster Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) published a prior information notice (PIN) on Monday (3 February) for remediation works at Casement Park in Belfast.
A full contract notice is expected next month.
A decade-old contract with Heron Bros and collapsed contractor Buckingham Group to revamp the arena was abandoned in 2023.
The Ulster GAA has been working since then to keep the project on track but its bid for the rebuilt stadium to host matches during the Euro 2028 football tournament was dealt a blow last autumn amid soaring costs.
“Work to date on the project has included site and vegetation clearance,” it said in the PIN, with data intelligence firm Glenigan naming ATG Group as the site investigation subcontractor.
The Ulster GAA also revealed that it expects the demolition of existing structures to be completed in the second quarter of this year, before main construction would begin in 2026, subject to funding.
“The Casement Park development remediation works competition will include the methodology, programme and pricing to produce a clean site in advance of this future development,” the sports body added.
“The remediation works required under this procurement exercise represent the next stage required to enable the construction of the new stadium.”
Remediation will include the excavation, management, processing, re-use and/or disposal of more than 100,000 cubic metres of hazardous, non-hazardous and inert materials.
Contaminants identified during the site investigation works included Japanese knotweed, large asbestos pieces and sporadic hydrocarbons.
Firms interested in the work are asked to respond to seven questions on topics including methodology, timeframe, contract type, assessment balance and constraints.
Buckingham and Heron Bros – which has offices in Northern Ireland as well as London, Glasgow and Manchester – secured the contract to create a 38,000-seater arena at the disused Casement Park site in 2013.
After several planning twists, a slightly reduced scheme with a capacity of about 34,500 was given formal approval in 2021. A legal challenge to the consent was dismissed two years later.
After Buckingham’s demise, Heron Bros was involved in a due diligence exercise but Ulster GAA discovered it was unable to extend the existing contract due to public procurement rules.
The governing body said in 2023 that it was “working closely with our partners in the Department for Communities to progress procurement of a contractor using recognised frameworks for major construction projects”.
Last September, Ulster GAA described a decision not to back Casement Park for Euro 2028 as a “missed opportunity”.
It said it had “taken every possible step to keep the project on track” for the tournament. This included investing over £4m in critical pre-enabling works, it added.
However, the UK government said overall construction costs had more than doubled from a previous estimate of £180m and there was a “significant risk” the arena would not be built in time for the Euros.
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Greg Pitcher