Location
“… Belfast city centre is not a neutral area…”
Tony Whitehead, SIB(1)

Why not Belfast?
Citing disruption from Orange Order parades; the PSNI refusing to police 40,000 GAA fans in the area; and the Health & Safety Executive claiming the area could not safely hold so many fans, Mr. Whitehead outlined why the Titanic Quarter was not a suitable location. With the expensive cost of the land, he said the site was not suitable. He also added that Titanic Quarter Limited (TQL) had pulled out of negotiations. In December 2005, Mike Smith of TQL told us that this was simply not true.

In response to an approach by the Observer newspaper, a police spokesman resolutely denied that the PSNI had been approached by SIB in relation to a Belfast stadium, and confirmed that the PSNI would fulfill its policing duties no matter where a stadium was located.(2)

The North Foreshore was ruled out because the cost of decontaminating the land was prohibitive, according to Mr. Whitehead. At the SIB presentations to fans, Mr. Whitehead indicated that the cost was in the region of £10-20m. However, Michael McGimpsey MLA of Belfast City Council told us in December 2005 that these costs were being met by the Council and that no cost would have been passed to the SIB. (Incidentally, the cost to decontaminate the Maze is £3.75million and the process is currently underway to prepare the site.(3)

Mr. Whitehead also said that both sites were unsuitable due to transport and infrastructure concerns. Belfast is the transport hub of Northern Ireland. With the M1, M2, M3 and M5 motorways, in addition to numerous ‘A roads’, converging on the city there is no easier place in Northern Ireland to get to by road. All rail routes stem from Belfast. More buses go to Belfast than anywhere else. The SIB is also pioneering two major roads projects into the city to make the infrastructure even better – widening the M1 Westlink and the M2 to improve traffic flow.

Other sites were dismissed, yet three proposals have been mooted in the City – Maysfield, Ormeau Park and Sydenham. None of these was given due consideration from the SIB. Fans have requested the site appraisal report but the SIB refused to release it to the public. The decision to site the stadium at the Maze has not been fully justified. Obtaining the land free of charge, perceived political neutrality and an absence of planning restrictions have been given as the defining reasons for its choice over the other sites.

Why the Maze?
The choice seems political and not practical. The Maze Regeneration Panel recommended that a Multi-Sports Stadium be built at the Maze to act as a catalyst for the redevelopment of the site. It is therefore too coincidental that the site was seen as the best when ‘independently’ assessed by the SIB. Allegations of a ‘done deal’ would seem to be grounded.

The site is a rural one, with no infrastructure or amenities. All these amenities are currently available in Belfast but it is unlikely to foresee the private sector rushing to open bars, restaurants and shops at an out-of-town rural site. These are the amenities that fans will want and need when watching a game. With bars and concessions in the stadium likely to follow the pattern elsewhere of being more expensive due to the monopoly on one’s custom, fans will be disillusioned at the lack of choice and facilities.

Mr. Whitehead told us that bars and restaurants and shops around the site would follow due to the creation of a ‘village’ at the Maze with the sale of 100 acres of land for housing. Saying “I hope to get £1million per acre”, Mr. Whitehead seemed to believe that the SIB could run roughshod over current planning policy. Not designated as a brownfield site (and therefore unsuitable for housing) under the Lisburn Area Plan and the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP), the stadium seems to be a pawn to merely inflate the value of government land.

Planning Concerns
Planning has a significant restraint on the current Maze proposals. On the 10 th March 2003, the Panel charged with examining the Maze site, had a discussion on what way the site was defined within the Regional Development Strategy (RDS) and Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP)(4). The representative from Planning Service said that BMAP could not identify the Maze as a “growth area” unless the RDS was amended.(5) Further meetings on 3 rd April 2003 and 4 th September 2003 refer to legal advice being sought “on how any proposed development at the Maze fitted in with the RDS and BMAP”.

Minutes from a subsequent meeting do not state a legal opinion but do mention that “the development of the Maze site should be in general conformity with RDS”. These concerns are also stated at the start of their Final Report(6), “The requirement of the Regional Development Strategy requires that 60% of new housing must be on brownfield sites. The definition of ‘brownfield’ stipulates that such sites must be within urban areas. The Maze/Long Kesh site is not, therefore a brownfield site”.

Additionally, BMAP emphasises the role of towns and cities over rural locations as drivers for economic growth – “They are the location for most community activity, they offer employment, services and facilities for all the community and they provide shared environments where people meet and interact.”(7)

So is Government policy saying a city centre site is better than an out-of-town site?
In a word, yes. BMAP also notes “The Plan Strategy is to limit expansion at the periphery of built-up areas and to promote regeneration and renewal within”. The RDS seeks to ‘invest in the urban hubs’ such as Belfast and seeks “a stronger role for Belfast as an international city”.

One strategic aim is to “facilitate the build up of city tourism and the conference/business exhibition trade”. The proposal to build at the Maze contradicts current Government planning policy.

So what do the fans want?
Only 8.3% fans favour the current Government proposal at the Maze. A huge majority seek a stadium in Belfast.

Representatives on Belfast City Council fully support this stance and are examining three proposals currently. Belfast Chamber of Commerce is working with developers for a site at Maysfield; Durnien.com has already revealed plans to proceed at Ormeau Park and a third consortium have an unreleased plan for Sydenham. With such a high level of support, partnership between the IFA, Ulster Branch IRFU, Ulster GAA and these local lobbies must be an option to explore.

And which is the most neutral area for a stadium? Windsor Park!

PriceWaterhouse Coopers: A Major Multi-Sports Stadium for Northern Ireland Economic Appraisal for Strategic Investment Board & Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure - Final Report August 2005

(1) Meetings with Amalgamation Representatives, November 2005

(2) Observer, 29 th November 2005

(3) Technical Feasibility Study Into the Development Potential of the Former Maze Prison and Adjacent Army Base, Executive Summary, September 2003, RPS Planning & Environment, ARUP

(4) These plans determine what can and cannot be built in Greater Belfast. ‘Shaping Our Future: The Regional Development Strategy for Northern Ireland 2025, Dept. For Regional Development, 2001’; BMAP available at www.planningni.gov.uk

(5) www.newfuturemazelongkesh.com

(6) Maze Consultation Panel Final Report, “A new future for the Maze/Long Kesh”, 24 th Feb 2005.

(7) Draft BMAP, Introduction