Lansdowne Road Stadium
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€500m bid to site Bertie’s Bowl at Lansdowne Road
LANSDOWNE Road last night emerged as by far the most likely site for a new national sports stadium – if the price is right.
Sports Minister John O’Donoghue will bring proposals on a new stadium to Cabinet, but the price tag is likely to result in reservations from the PDs.
Following yesterday’s meeting with the Football Association of Ireland and the Irish Rugby Football Union, Mr O’Donoghue revealed the overall cost of the stadium could be €515m with the two codes contributing €118.5m.
The FAI and IRFU yesterday presented a report to the minister which looked at four locations for a new stadium.
Mr O’Donoghue said he would examine the report in detail before bringing proposals to Cabinet.
If the figures are acceptable, the Government will decide on a location – and everything at this stage points to Lansdowne Road.
It is understood that in the costings presented by the consultants, the Ballsbridge venue came in lowest, ahead of Abbotstown.
Mr O’Donoghue is absolutely convinced of the need for a National Stadium.
“It is important that we build a stadium for the people of Ireland, for the IRFU, the FAI and our young people and to take our place in the world in hosting international games,” he said.
Feasibility studies were carried out by consultants Ove Arup on four possible options: Lansdowne Road, Newlands Cross, Abbotstown and the former Irish Glass Bottle site in Ringsend.
The minister said the stadium would cost the Exchequer between €353m and €397m, with the FAI and IRFU contributing €118.5m. He said €71m could be recouped in VAT and a possible extra €100m through employment and other taxes. A spokesman for Tanaiste Mary Harney last night refused to comment on the report.
However, it is expected a price tag of more than €500m would be considered too high by the junior coalition partners in the current economic circumstances.
Lansdowne Road has a capacity of 49,000 with 24,000 seated. During international games the FAI are obliged to put in 11,000 temporary seats.
The minister said the FAI was in an “unfeasible situation” as far as hosting internationals was concerned.
International soccer bodies insist matches should be held in all-seater stadiums.
“If the capacity is reduced to 24,000 at Lansdowne Road it would cause immediate financial difficulty for the FAI and for the IRFU,” the minister said.
He pointed out that with a 65,000-seater stadium the IRFU could earn €2m extra per home international.
The minister said suggestions that Croke Park be opened up would not resolve the issue due to over-lapping fixtures, damage to the pitch and the objections of local residents.
It also emerged last night that JP McManus’s €60m donation may still go towards the stadium.
Mr O’Donoghue told Newstalk 106 he would hold talks with Mr McManus about the money.
Why doesnt the Government become a shareholder in the new stadium and leave its running to the professional bodies. That way the ‘provate sector’ use their ‘expertise’ to profitably run the stadium and the State gets a longterm return on its investment.
Personally I think they should go ahead with Landsdowne Road. As least it already has a public transport link – although I think dear old CIE will need to consider an major upgrade to the DART station here – in tandem with the stadium redeveloment that is, not 15 year later.
Linking in with another thread…..that of LUAS. Surely the logical thing to consider would be for LUAS Line C – the one that is going from Abbey Street to Connolly and now on to the Point – to continue on over the river with one spur coming back up the south docklands area (maybe even a loop line to O’Connell Street) and another spur continuing on to Landsdowne Road via Ringsend. Too logical? Too much like forward planning?
€118 million from the FAI and IRFU, that’s a great deal!!
No corporate sponsorship or selling seats corporately. Sure it’s only the taxpayers money.
The final bill will be double what is anticipated, as and when the fleecers move in.
Personally, I would have prefered Abbotstown.
There now will be the mother of all battles re: planning in Dublin 4. There is NO way they wil be able to accomodatre 65,000 there and they know it.
Watch this space………………………
The Millenium Stadium can accomodate 70,000 and is on a similar sized tight site in downtown Cardiff – why cant Lansdowne Niall?
See too that are are building a new Opera House in Cardiff…..puts Dublin and the bureaucratic thicks here in the ha’penny place. Shame on them all, the fools….robbers of the nation.
Why the Abbotstown preference Niall? I never understood why anyone would want the stadium out there.
Lansdowne is in my opinion a superior location over Abbotstown – I’d way prefer a stadium in walking distance to town and more importantly on a DART line over some field with no transport links at all.
I do see D4 residents in action group not taking this lying down though… sure if we’re spending all that free Taxpayers money why not just compulsory purchase order the lot of them – what a few €Bn here and there…
Whay do I prefer Stadium Ireland?
1) It won’t have the same planning objections or local vested snobs as Lansdowne
2) It has the space
3) It is a bold statement that our country/capital or its sporting click are not obssesed with Dublin 4 rugby. By that token, why not Cork?
and importantly
5) IT’S CHEAPER!!!!!!!
Yes, Lansdowne has the Dawrt, big deal, Abbotstown has Ashtown and other stations and the M50, but it’s not D4! Ever hear of buses?
The mother of all planning battles and hold-ups are now going to happen in D4 and it will cost an absolute fortune, which taxpayers not the IRFU or FAI are going to fork out for. In the meantime where do we play our matches cause it won’t be Croke Park.
Watch this space……………………………
All of the reasons given for Abbotstown are based on the ecconomic argument. Site being cheaper, also cheaper to get through planning etc. I personally think the argument is flawed and does not standup when total cost is considered.
There is tons of info available explaining why there is a trend away from out of town stadia. A lot of this is based on ecconomics and if anyone has seen Stadium Australia recently you will know just how bleak a new stadium can look 99% of the time.But be that as it may, I wanted to know if anyone actually felt that the Abbotstown proposal would give the punter a better experience. Judged on this criteria Landsdown is streets ahead in my book but I wanted to know how in terms of use, a case could be made for Abbotstown. For example, in the US people have been known to throw parties in the parking lots on match day and people go there even without tickets. Or is there a unique and wonderful experience that will be provide by the architecture that could not be done on a tighter site?
On a more gloomy note – what’s stopping IRFU from developing he landsdown site as high yield apartments, pocketing the cash, and moving out to a free stadium in abottstown at taxpayers expense?
Build the National Stadium in Cork??? That sounds waaay to good an idea – what are the chances in this, the most centralised decentralised country. What would the D4ites say if they not only had to leave their backgarden – but Dublin itself to see a game?!?
The National Conf Center in the UK is in Birmingham – so why does our National Stadium necessarily have to be in Dublin (like everything else) – god knows Limerick or Cork CC would kill to have that kind of a project come their way.
Yes, d d Dallas, why not Cork!
From above
“On a more gloomy note – what’s stopping IRFU from developing he landsdown site as high yield apartments, pocketing the cash, and moving out to a free stadium in abottstown at taxpayers expense?”– It would kill them to move from their cosy set-up in D4, and the drinking dens associated with it, much like RTE, who wouldn’t dream moving elsewhere and pocketing a fortune from selling their land at Montrose, clearing their debts and maybe making a half-decent drama or comedy and selling it for export. It would kill the IRFU to move out of D4, and they are only contributing a fraction of the cost
Great deal if you can get it and it’s the taxpayers who get screwed as usual.
BTW, the earliest this would be ready is 2008/2009. The Height would have to be significantly extended and an unholy row will brek out, so my guess will be 2012 and double the quoted price.
Na ….I bet it won’t be built at all…..we are useless in this country….simple as that…we slag off the Brits (and their arrogant and brash personalities), the Germans (and their cool, cold steely personalities) The Americans, the French…..ecetera ….ecetera…but it’s official ….Let’s say it loud and be proud ….’We are Irish and we are useless’…..(except we make good lackies for the servile plenitudes of other races abroad)
Our Taoiseach sums our nation up with his dithering stuttering nervousness…..the right man for the right job….don’t expect anything less of us folks……
Even however if it is built by some some miraculous miracle …I bet it will take years and years at some astronimical cost ….and I bet it will never ever be fully finished…… and I bet it will look cheap and mediocre…….such is the apathy and amatuerism of all here.The height problem could be got round by sinking the stadium into ground. Coul;d be a drainage disaster but I think it’s been done elsewhere.
It has been done. The Stade de France is built like this to reduce the visual height. The new Wembly pitch will be 4 metres lower than the previous. Imagine this adds somwhat to the costs though
I think the Lansdowne Road is the correct choice.
It has to be in Dublin somewhere as its central, I can’t see Ulster rugby fans being to impressed if the stadium was in Cork. If it were built in any other central location like Athlone or Galway getting there by train is a problem.
Lansdowne’s greatest asset is its location. The atmosphere going to and from it is fantastic and it is what so many sporting tourists love about it. Walking from the centre of the city down to the ground is great the streets are alive something I couldn’t see happening out at Abbotstown.
All the money its going to cost could not recreate the Lansdowne atmosphere out at Abbotstown. It doesn’t matter what it costs its the right choice.
As someone who commutes to Lansdowne from Drogheda for games I don’t see Niall’s point on “D4 bashing” part of the charm of the game is the Lansdowne walk – i.e. the stroll (and its pubs) from the city centre – the fans love it (both Irish and International) and is part of the day out (both soccer and rugby). Niall – the FAI also wanted Lansdowne road so its not just an IRFU thing
Sitting in traffic just to experience the game and no more out at Abbotstown would be no fun at all. The right decision was made – ask any fan.
P.S. RTE does a great job given their limited budget. Look at TV3 – live from the glamourous environs of Ballymount Industrial estate and the poxy job that they do given the (unlimited) pockets of Granada and CanWest.
(Although refuses to broadcast matches in stereo because it costs too much, might change with licence fee increase though)
One of the great aspects about Landsdowne Rd is the great image it conveys internationally of Dublin, located slap bang in the centre of Victoriana, what a beautiful place it is.
Enough of the the D4 begrudgery. A nasty characteristic of this country. Its a stunning part of the city and conveys a great image to attending forgien fans and televisually from blimp cams, or in RTE’s case crane cams.
Utterly unrepresentative of the city as a whole of course but sure we’re entitled to some rose tinting.
no offence to cork but it is out of the way for everybody else in the country, even though i wouldn’t mind going down, it’s a great city. However i personally think it should be in the centre of the country and not in Dublin just because,well sure it has everything else and it’s convient for a select number of people. I don’t see the problem of having it near Athlone. Out in the country so there is ample parking. Athlone itself is one of the focal point of the government scheme to improve the country, Also i don’t accept that it’s hard to get to. From where. It’s on the main Dublin-Galway route. There is a bus from belfast and while i don’t know about the south of the country i’m sure it’s not that difficult. The problem is that if you don’t use publc transport or organise a coach then drinking a few pints will be gone. so what. Can we not enjoy a football match without drink and then go on the piss afterwards. personally i would use the public transport and go for a few pints. it means drink and for those who drive, parking is cheaper.
Lansdowne road, while a beautiful old stadium is not suitable , why not leave it intact as we in ireland seem to be protecting everything over 20 years old anyway, and keep it for club games, or smaller international games….just an idea…i liked the idea of changing it into apartments… prime land in d4…how much money would they make out of that!!!!!
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