An Irish National Stadium!

Originally posted by niall murphy
ah I was takin the piss a bit. I’m from a large town about 45km from Dublin. However so many Dublin people think that life stops when you go beyond the M50 and that everyone is an “inbred culchie” if your not from the city. Like because I’m not from the city its nearly assumed I live on a farm and spend my saturdays servicing my septic tank!!!

Niall, I think you are generallising Dublin peoples views of people who are not from Dublin. To state something like that is to hold the same view of Dublin people as you seem to think they hold of people who are not from Dublin.

Niall, I don’t mean to sound harsh or anything like that I just find that view to be a bit strange at times.

Niall, you decided to take this off topic, generalise twice about Dublin peoples attitude to people from outside Dublin and then refuse to discuss it further. I think with that in mind you should not bring up this debate again. 🙂

I would say the residents of Landsdowne will probably put a halt to Kerrs call for Landsdowne to be started as soon as possible. It should be interesting to see anyway.

I think the objectors will find it quite difficult to object on valid grounds.

It will be a smaller capacity than rugby days.

It will be lower on the Landsdown road end once the extended set back is put into place.

It’s very well designed so architectural merit doesn’t come into it.

I’m sure a few people will object. But there is a case law precent from the U2 concerts in 1997, that favours the IRFU

Yeah it currently holds about 56,500 when the terraces are standing room. So it is going to be smaller for rugby matches although the 35,000 for soccer is quite an improvement.

I don’t know how they are going to work the schoolboy tickets now though ina seats only venue

internationals for 2 quid a ticket, ahhhhhhh and you didn’t even appreciate it at the time;)

perhaps Lansdowne can physically accomodate 56,000 people currently but the official capacity is 49,000 give or take a few hundred. safety etc probably is to do with this so in fact an increase of 1000 will happen if they provide for 50,000 people. however it will be 50,000 people in better comfort and conditions than in the current situation

i was reading in the times yesterday that even though the fai are putting up money there is still some trouble with ownership rights. basically that the fai will still have to pay rental. this may de-rail efforts.
and is there any other images apart from the widely available one. like how it looks from a pedestrain point of view..etc..

heard that on the radio this morning alright. but they won’t listen to the public.

i am sure they will open it now, they have won at this point; a high quality medium sized stadium in Dublin is the best they could of hoped for.

they big question is weather they will open up the provinsional stadia too, lots of these are in bad repair.

State seeks €20m security on Lansdowne
From:ireland.com
Friday, 19th August, 2005

Government funding for the development of the new Lansdowne Road stadium has been suspended pending the resolution of a dispute which centres on a demand that the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) provide security of €20 million in order to safeguard public money advanced to the project during its planning and preparatory stages.

According to internal Football Association of Ireland (FAI) documents seen by The Irish Times, after they were sent in error to the members of the media, the Government has sought the security on the advice of the Chief State Solicitors Office (CSSO).

The CSSO is concerned that the public funding currently being advanced in order to get the scheme under way could be lost if the scheme does not proceed and the IRFU decides to sell the highly valuable site on which the present stadium stands. The IRFU is, in turn, seeking an indemnity for half of the €20 million from the FAI. Both organisations are also being required to provide an additional €500,000 in bridging finance so as to cover the day-to-day operating costs of the development as a result of the funding delay.

In the document, which is the text of FAI chief executive John Delaney’s address to tomorrow’s meeting of the association’s national council, it is stated that there have been “lengthy and protracted discussions between the Department and the CSSO on one side and Arthur Cox Solicitors on behalf of the IRFU and FAI”.

Mr Delaney says in his address that “some progress has been made on the issue”, but that “difficulties continue to exist”. He says that the present position is that the charge would be applied by the Government in the event that the redevelopment project does not go ahead, the stadium is sold, and all of the net proceeds from such a sale are not subsequently used by the IRFU in the construction of an alternative stadium.

Asked about the issue last night, Mr Delaney described the issue “as a paperwork issue,” which he said could be resolved “quite quickly”. He denied that the project was being delayed in any way by the difficulties and said the €1 million being advanced by the two sporting organisation would be recouped from the Government when the matter is resolved.

In relation to the €10 million indemnity being required of it by the IRFU, its partners in the scheme, he said: “I can’t see that we would be exposed to any liability. The chance of the risk crystalising is extremely remote.”

The dispute, nevertheless, comes after repeated claims in public by the FAI’s leadership that all aspects of the development were proceeding smoothly and to schedule.

The Lansdowne Road Stadium Redevelopment Company, which was established by the two associations as a joint venture to oversee the construction and operation of the new €292 million stadium, recently appointed a project management team and it was intended that an application for planning permission would be submitted by the end of this year.

A little over a year was then being allowed for the planning process to run its course after which construction would begin and it was hoped that the new stadium would be opened during 2009.

Mr Delaney insists that the current difficulties with the Government, which is due to meet around two-thirds of the total costs, has not affected this schedule. However, it is clear that the two associations could not pay the day-to-day costs of the development for any prolonged period of time during which there was continuing uncertainty regarding the provision and delivery of public funding.

The news, however, was not all bad for the FAI with the document containing his proposed speech also revealing that the association expects to generate €3.18 million from the forthcoming World Cup qualifier against France. Ends

Surely the site valued at 200m plus is security enough