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Newry & Armagh MLA Justin McNulty has accused the Executive of a "lack of vision, ambition, and delivery" after 13 years of delay on the reconstruction of Casement Park, following reports claiming the stadium is being scaled back further.
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"Despite 13 years of dither and delay waiting for Casement Park's reconstruction, Ulster Gaels are getting the short end of the stick because of Executive failures," McNulty said. "This demonstrates a lack of vision, ambition, and delivery by the First Ministers and the Executive."
McNulty added: “I want to see the GAA continue to grow, and one very clear way to facilitate that is through prioritising the redevelopment of Casement Park. The Executive Parties’ inaction and inertia around Casement is a source of huge frustration, but more pressingly, it is preventing the positive social impact of the GAA from being fully realised in Belfast and in Ulster. We need to see urgent action to progress the redevelopment of Casement Park to unleash a new wave of positivity and possibility for Antrim and Ulster Gaels.”
His comments come as SDLP Opposition Leader Matthew O'Toole MLA called on Executive Ministers to urgently clarify the project's status. The South Belfast MLA said First Minister Michelle O'Neill's pledge that the stadium would be built "on her watch" was starting to look hollow, with GAA fans set to be left asking what over a decade of delay was for.
"The SDLP will continue to strongly support the GAA in getting a stadium delivered, but it appears clear that it will not be the stadium people were promised," O'Toole said.
He added that as fans enjoy the World Cup and look ahead to the European Championships in two years' time, a tournament Belfast could have hosted,
the failure to deliver Casement Park would stand as another example of local politics falling short of tangible progress.
