Department of Finance officials delivered the much anticipated assessment of the business case for the multi-sports arena to Minister Peter Robinson yesterday.

It is understood that the appraisal details costs which go way beyond the initial £100 million costing – providing the Stormont Executive with a headache over affordability.

Mr Robinson is expected to put together a summary of the report to present to the Executive for discussion.

It had been thought he may bring a recommendation to the Cabinet, but the emphasis is expected to be very much on a collective decision.

Last week, Mr Robinson said that even if the stadium did not go ahead, something would have to be built on the 260-acre site.

The Executive is mindful that if it cannot make productive use of the Maze, it will undermine its case for seeking other government owned land – such as former Army bases – for development.

Mr Robinson has said that if the Maze stadium does not go ahead, the main football, rugby and GAA stadia across Northern Ireland would be improved.

The site for a national stadium in Northern Ireland has divided political opinion.

Sinn Fein has said the party will not support the idea unless it is on the site of the former Maze Prison.

However, some unionists oppose the Maze site because of plans for a conflict transformation centre at the stadium.

The GAA, Irish FA and Ulster Rugby have confirmed they would play at the Maze venue.

Stormont Sports Minister Edwin Poots had outlined a business case for a 35,000-seater stadium capable of hosting major football, rugby and Gaelic matches as part of the regeneration of the Maze site.

However, some Northern Ireland football fans have been opposed to international games being staged at the Maze, arguing it would be much better to build a new stadium in Belfast City instead of a site nearer the much smaller City of Lisburn.

Unionists have been unnerved by the suggestion that a conflict transformation centre could be built along with the stadium, retaining one of the infamous H-Blocks where 10 republican hunger strikers starved themselves to death in 1981.

The Royal Ulster Agricultural Society is also believed to be interested in the site.