The UK government has refused to bail out a landmark Belfast stadium affected by Buckingham Group’s collapse, after build costs more than doubled.
Ministers told the Northern Ireland Executive on Friday (13 September) that it would no longer back the scheme due to a “significant risk that the stadium would not be built in time” for Euro 2028, which it was intended to be used for.
According to the government’s statement, build costs had risen from £180m in October 2023, when the stadium was announced, as among those to be used at the Euros in 2028. Now the estimate is to more than £400m, the government added.
The project was first launched in 2011 by the Stormont executive. A joint venture between Buckingham and Ulster contractor Heron Bros was appointed in 2013 to build Casement Park.
The project was thrown into doubt when the £665m-turnover Buckingham stopped trading in late August 2023.
By the time Buckingham went under, the JV had started enabling works on the 34,500-seat facility, which had been earmarked for five Euro 2028 matches. Casement Park was the only Northern Ireland stadium included in the bid.
Buckingham had several stadium jobs on the go at the time of its collapse, including new stands for Fulham and Liverpool football clubs. In a statement published when it stopped trading in August 2023, the firm said it had suffered heavy losses on three unnamed stadium and arena contracts.
By the time of the October 2023 announcement, the project had contributions pledged from the Irish government and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). The UK government had been expected to make up the rest of the funding, based on the estimate of £180m.
Ulster Gaelic Athletics Association (GAA) dropped JV partner Heron Bros from the project in November, citing regulatory blocks on retaining and modifying the existing contract. At the time, Heron Bros said it did not rule out re-bidding for the project.
But in a letter to Northern Ireland (NI) sports minister Gordon Lyons, NI secretary Hilary Benn and culture secretary Lisa Nandy wrote that “almost no progress was made to deliver the stadium build” between the winning of the Euro 2028 bid last October and the general election in July.
On Saturday (14 September), the GAA said confirmation that Belfast would not host any Euro 2028 matches was a “missed opportunity” that “our entire society will look back on with considerable regret”.
The sports body said it had taken “every possible step to keep the project on track”, including investing more than £4m in critical pre-enabling works ahead of procuring a new main contractor. It said it had sought an urgent meeting with Benn to agree next steps.
The GAA added: “Casement Park will be built, and we will work with all partners to ensure that the promises made by the [Northern Ireland] Executive over 13 years ago and within successive programmes for government, to deliver on the strategic stadia need of the GAA in the province and in Belfast, Ireland’s second city, are fulfilled.”
Among the nine remaining stadiums due to host matches at Euro 2028 are London’s Wembley Stadium, Glasgow’s Hampden Park and Everton Stadium in Liverpool, which is currently being built by Laing O’Rourke.
But Benn has added the project is not over. He told the BBC: “Every single one of us is going to have to take stock. Clearly there needs to be a new design than what was envisaged for the Euros.”
In a statement, the Irish taoiseach said his government would not “rule in or out” providing extra money.
Construction News contacted the Northern Ireland Office, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and Northern Ireland Executive for comment.
