THE LONG RUNNING saga surrounding the redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh appears to be at an end following An Bord Pleanála’s decision to grant permission for work to go ahead.
Initially proposed in autumn 2012, the €70 million project was granted planning permission in April this year but was delayed to allow for a number of appeals from local residents.
In its decision to give the green light to the new facility, An Bord Pleanála found the proposed work was in accordance with the “proper planning and sustainable development of the area” surrounding the stadium.
There are some conditions attached to the new facilities – which will include new playing and training facilities, performance assessment and rehab facilities, an all-weather pitch, restaurants, conference facilities and a museum – including that work must be completed within 10 years.
Local residents will also have to be informed when the floodlights on the all-weather pitch will be in operation.
In a statement this afternoon, Cork County Board chairman Bob Ryan said:
“Cork County Board is delighted with An Bord Pleanála’s decision and the completion of the appeals process. This is a really welcome decision for all those with an interest in Gaelic games and sport.
“The redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh will provide top class facilities and meet present day expectations of players and spectators. It will ensure that Cork has a proper home to showcase Gaelic games and an infrastructure to develop young players into the future.
“Today’s decision is also a very important moment for Cork as it allows us to progress a project that holds out so many economic, recreational and community positives for the city and county.
“Our aim is to commence the construction phase from February next, in consultation with our neighbours with whom we want to work closely in the years ahead. We look forward to working with them to ensure the stadium’s operations work smoothly and can be a resource for the local community.”
Anyone know who owns the few pitches alongside the carrigrohane road? On your left heading towards ballincollig. If it’s the cork county board then surely it would make more sense to have their centre of excellence there.
Maybe sell off where their going building the pitches alongside the stadium to whoever is behind the Marina development to fund it…. Just a thought.
There’s a soccer pitch there no gaa pitch
There is a GAA pitch there alright, 2 of them i think. It’s lough rovers home ground. Rugby and soccer pitches there too.
Plus a rugby pitch but having been the former city dump you need a tetanus injection if cut.
Dump? Right then, maybe not… I’ve never had a good luck up there tbh, but I guess lumpy pitches wouldn’t exactly be ideal for centres of excellence either. But surely there’s somewhere in and around the city that can accommodate 4-5 pitches an astro pitch and a shiny new gym! Out by Curraheen maybe?
Ya i was only recently told that there was a dump there 20 odd years ago.. right beside a stream there and all!
Belfast next.
Between the GAA ignoring them and Bord planala being virtually unable to police or enforce rulings these special conditions will fall by the way side quick sharp.
I know people have probably been waiting for this to happen but is it really the right time for spending cash on things like this, considering the poverty and homeless in our towns and cities????
It’s the Gaa’s money, not the government. It should help the community anyway bringing many construction jobs and permanent jobs thereafter while also becoming a community hub in Cork. I’d say it will be money well spent.
There is a sizeable government grant of 35 million partly funding this!
What an utter waste of money. Not to mention further grief for local residents.
How is it a waste Frederick? The pairc in its current state is a kip. Needs to be brought upto scratch.
It’s a white elephant, between the Gaelic Grounds, Semple and Fitzgerald, Munster has a stadium capacity outstripping Leinster and Munster (excluding HQ) with a 1/4 of the population!
Homeless people dying on the streets and the GAA spends fortunes on stadia that are mostly empty. They won’t share facilities either. Why do they need all these facilities, most GAA events attract very small crowds. Is it simply some warped sense of nationalist pride? I don’t get it. They should be utterly ashamed of themselves.
Homeless people are not the primary concern of the gaa. Would People Get A grip
Ok, so you compartmentalise resonsibility and morality, that’s very convenient. So you can do exactly what you want as long as you don’t make obvious connections in your own thoughts, interesting. So i can have one process for dealing with people dying in the streets and one for for spending millions on a lump of concrete.
I have a fiver with paddy power that it will flood within 10 years of it being built.
Maybe it could double as a homeless or care shelter and not sit empty for 80% of the time, if or when it’s completed.
Robert it’s a stadium not a homeless shelter.
Sorry, I was fraped, pls disregard the comment.
Seems I was fraped twice.
What about parking?
What about it? Croke Park of the Aviva don’t have parking and they seem to work ok. People park outside in the suburbs where parking is available and get public transport in.
Building stadiums out off motorways only results in traffic nightmares as everyone expects to be able to drive straight there and park easily, whereas what you get in reality is just massive traffic jams before and after games. More central stadiums draw people into the city throughout the day and gets people spending money in and around town.