Lansdowne Road plans: state of play

The new Lansdowne Road stadium is not now expected to be open until at least 2009, with a spokesman for Minister for Sport John O'Donoghue conceding that even this is a "tentative" estimate.

Fifteen months on from the Government's decision to redevelop the stadium, design and project management teams have yet to be appointed.

Mr O'Donoghue told the Dáil last month that these would be chosen by the end of March. The development company now says it hopes to appoint them by the end of April.

As the Taoiseach expressed doubt yesterday about the entire project, a spokesman for the Minister said 2009 was the "best estimate" for when the new 50,000-seater stadium would be available.

It was impossible to say with any certainty, he added, "because we can only imagine what sort of problems will come up at the planning stage".

A consultation forum involving the IRFU, FAI, political representatives and residents has met three times so far with the aim of resolving potential problems before the planning process begins.

Another meeting is planned for next week. However Labour councillor Dermot Lacey said an appeal is all but certain when and if planning permission is granted.

Given that the initial application would be made "before the end of this year at best", and that the eventual construction of a stadium is expected to take 2½ years, "you're looking at the autumn of 2009" as the earliest date for completion.

While the Taoiseach appeared to question whether the stadium would be built at all - "I will have my doubts until the day it opens because I just think it's in a very built-up area," he told RTÉ - Mr Lacey said the development company had at least established better relations with residents than the IRFU had.

"There are local concerns, and the question is whether they can be resolved archaeologically or financially," he added.

The most dramatic effect of the planned reorientation of the stadium will be on about a dozen houses in O'Connell Gardens, near what is now the Havelock Square end of the ground.

But there have also been strong objections to the planned expansion into a 10-foot wide strip alongside the river Dodder, an area now in public ownership.

Most local representatives and TDs favour a redeveloped Lansdowne, Mr Lacey said. "But councillors will use [the Dodder bank property] to get the best deal for residents."