Legal impediments need to be overcome for football stadium funding says Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey

Efforts to progress a scheme to upgrade football stadia in Northern Ireland in the absence of an Executive have received the support of some Stormont ministers, Deirdre Hargey has said.
By Jonathan McCambridge, PA
Published 7th Mar 2022, 21:15 BST
Glentoran FC has been promised £10m to redevelop The Oval. Pic Colm Lenaghan / PacemakerGlentoran FC has been promised £10m to redevelop The Oval. Pic Colm Lenaghan / Pacemaker
Glentoran FC has been promised £10m to redevelop The Oval. Pic Colm Lenaghan / Pacemaker

The communities minister updated the Assembly on the £36.2 million programme, telling them that there were still “legal impediments” to be overcome.

Last month, Ms Hargey said she would be unable to progress the long-awaited scheme to redevelop local sub-regional football stadia due to the absence of a functioning Executive.

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She claimed while the funding has been secured for the initiative, the approval of the wider Executive is required before it can progress to allocating funding for projects at specific grounds.

Ms Hargey blamed the DUP for the situation, claiming the party’s decision to pull Paul Givan out of the first minister’s role in protest at the NI Protocol meant the stadia programme had to be placed on hold until a functioning administration is back in place.

The DUP disputed this position and contrasted it with the minister’s insistence that the redevelopment of the GAA’s Casement Park in west Belfast can continue despite the Stormont crisis.

During ministerial question time today, Ms Hargey told MLAs: “I have undertaken a number of actions to progress this programme in the absence of a functioning Executive.

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“I have met with representatives from both the Irish Football Association (IFA) and NI Football League (NIFL) to reaffirm my commitment to this programme and to provide clarity on the work undertaken to progress the programme.

“I issued a letter to the finance minister to seek assistance in addressing the cost increases that inflation has brought to the programme.”

She added: “I have also written twice to Executive colleagues to seek support for my efforts to advance this flagship programme.

“In my follow-up letter I clarified I would be grateful for colleagues’ views and willingness to help progress the programme in the absence of an Executive and I can confirm I have received some responses.

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“I have got some support from some ministers around progressing the programme and doing all that we can to get round the impediment of no Executive.

“I still await the response of a few other ministers to my letters.”

She told the Assembly that the ministers who had responded to her were Finance Minister Conor Murphy, Justice Minister Naomi Long, Education Minister Michelle McIlveen and Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon.

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Related topics:Deirdre HargeyNorthern Ireland