HQ says hello again to the Hill

Gaelic Games: The GAA still face some hard decisions on the completion of Croke Park, despite yesterday's long-awaited permission to redevelop the terrace area of Hill 16 and the old Nally Stand. Any decision to start work later this year would result in unsustainable borrowings for the association, writes Ian O'Riordanreports

After enduring a drawn-out and at times uncertain planning process, the decision by An Bord Pleanála to grant permission for the redevelopment, nearly four years after the original application was turned down, was welcomed by Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna.

"From the stadium perspective it is a very, very positive decision," he said. "And for us it really is the last piece of the jigsaw, and for that we couldn't be more delighted. But the key issue now is one of finance."

The northern end of the stadium, which covers the Hill 16 and former Nally Stand area, remains the fourth and final phase of the Croke Park redevelopment. When completed it will raise the stadium capacity from 79,500 to 82,300, but it will come with a price tag of around €23 million.

While this additional cost was always anticipated, the GAA has been reassessing its finances in light of losing €38 million of Government funding for the redevelopment of the stadium. A new application for funding has been submitted, but there has been no indication on what Government money - if any - will be forthcoming.

At least the redevelopment plans can now be finalised. Originally the plans for terracing were approved by the then Dublin Corporation, only for Bord Pleanála to decide on appeal in 1999 that the area be seated. A re-application was passed by Dublin City Council in August, and despite two individual objections, was upheld yesterday by the planning board.

McKenna welcomed the decision for several reasons. "We were always confident we would get this permission, but it's only now we can look at those final plans in a more focused way.

"And the next obstacle is financing. Right now there are a lot of other demands on resources, and we will have to examine a whole series of options before deciding what to do next. Even if all the resources were in place we still couldn't start any work until October at the earliest because of the Special Olympics ceremonies in June, and of course the championship matches after that."

The GAA is already facing borrowings of €70 million exclusive of any works to the northern end, a figure they intended not to surpass. A further borrowing of €23 million would push that figure over €90 million and also generate annual interest repayments of €5.5 million - largely deemed unsustainable under current income.

According to GAA press officer Danny Lynch, the plans now go to the Management Committee to determine if they are currently affordable.

"There was never going to be any immediate work on the plans because of the Special Olympics, and the upcoming season," he said.

"What Management Committee now need to decide is what to do in the immediate future, and then long-term. It might be that the original version of the plans would be financially unsustainable for several more years. I do envisage some work starting before the end of the year, but exactly how much would only be speculation."

The plan to develop the terrace area, however, has long been part of McKenna's idea of a truly world-class stadium. Original plans are for five partitions in the terracing, with two terraces coming off the Hogan and Cusack Stands for family areas, two terraces for general supporters, and a fifth partition with wheelchair access.

With a capacity for 12,700 (the previous Hill 16 held a little over 10,000), the area will also maintain many of the unique aspects of Croke Park.

"First of all, I think Hill 16 is a national monument," added McKenna, "and I think it would have been an outrageous decision to see it go.

"But there were many other reasons for keeping the terracing. It will always add an extra atmosphere to a stadium, and you see that a lot of other stadiums around Europe are keeping that aspect too. All-seater stadiums do lose a lot of the noise level that stadiums with a terrace will provide. What you get in terraces is a lot of noise being projected out onto the field.

"There is also the affordability issue. With the terracing you can get more supporters coming to games on a regular basis, simply because they mightn't be able to afford to get stand tickets on as regular a basis. And we can now ensure they get the same level of stadium facilities, and the same feel of the atmosphere.

"Any fears about the safety of terraces were just part of the late 1990s, when there was still a lot of uncertainty about the safety of terrace areas, and when soccer hooliganism was the big issue as well. If they are well designed then terraces can be as safe.

"All you have to think about is the 80,000 people that use the grass terraces for a concert at Slane Castle."

Already the Nally Stand has been demolished (and, incidentally, carefully reconstructed at the Carrickmore club grounds in Tyrone) to make way for a temporary stand to be installed in the area for the Special Olympics. It may be several more years before the area is finished as the final piece of the Croke Park redevelopment.