Casement Park: Secretary of State Hilary Benn challenged over considering extra cash to make up £150m shortfall for west Belfast GAA stadium

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn is due to meet with the Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons over the next steps to redevelop the derelict west Belfast GAA stadium.

Casement had been due to be redeveloped at the same time as Windsor Park and Ravenhill, after Executive pledges to upgrade all three in 2011.

But while the other two projects went ahead, Casement was delayed following legal challenges from local residents in west Belfast who were concerned about the impact of heavy traffic.

A subsequent proposal to transform Casement into an elite venue for the Euro 2028 tournament caused a huge row, when the estimated cost ballooned as high as £400m. Soccer fans and unionists objected that soccer would not benefit from such an inflated investment in a GAA stadium in a strongly nationalist area of the city.

In the end the UK government said it could not afford the expenditure.

Mr Lyons has vowed to deliver the original £62.5m committed to the Casement project back in 2011.

The Irish Government has offered roughly £42m, while the GAA has pledged £15m.

It has been reported that the cost of the project has now fallen to £270m, still leaving a shortfall of £150 million. On Wednesday, Mr Benn confirmed that he had received a letter from Mr Lyons in January, and said they will meet soon.

He added that he is subject to the ongoing government spending review and that there is "some money in the pot but we need to see what the revised proposal is before he could decide what funding might be offered.

“But I would also say, depending on what the cost of the revised proposal is, I think other contributions are going to be required to get this going.”

But TUV deputy leader Court Councillor Ron McDowell argued that GAA should not be entitled to extra funding not given to the other sports.

“There should be no question of additional money for Casement, be that from within the block grant or from Westminster," he said.

"No other sport has obtained funding from Westminster in this fashion so why should the GAA - which has ample resources of its own - be granted special treatment?

“A fair settlement across sports in Northern Ireland was reached years ago and frankly the GAA have no one but themselves to blame for not delivering on Casement within the envelope of money offered at the time. The project was flawed from the off resulting in legal challenges from local residents and profound issues around the site such as the presence of asbestos.

"The bottom line here is that the GAA is well able to fund Casement itself. It certainly shouldn't be getting additional money which wasn't available for other sports, none of which carry the sectarian baggage associated with the GAA."

Responding to the TUV, a Northern Ireland Office spokesman said the Secretary of State has met with the GAA to discuss the redevelopment of Casement and looks forward to meeting with Mr Lysons.

"We will continue to engage with all involved in this Executive-led project, as all parties assess the options available.,” he said.