There really is no club comparable to bohs when it comes to polishing a turd.
As said above, I believe nothing until the keys are handed over to the finished project.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
I certainly wont believe it until I see a 3D model anyway.Originally Posted by Straightstory
What's the latest hold up with the Harps project. Money?
I enjoyed that piece of spin myself before id seen others comment, gas stuff!
Good question!
1st April 2021 the last announcement of “funding “…..
http://merrionstreet.ie/en/news-room...s_stadium.html
I haven’t seen another update on any progress on anything since , if there was I’ve missed it….
Very hard to understand the lack of progress, there must be opposition at some level we are not seeing after so many years pf zero progress.
In the "Attendances" thread, Nesta99 made the following point, which I think I should properly reply to in this thread, as follows:
And on this point I know EYG and I have disagreed on this before (apologies all round!), when I asserted that DCFC and Glentoran had both been promised c.£10m each from the £36m Sub-Regional Stadium Funding originally allocated/ringfenced by Stormont over a decade ago (i.e. before the usual political screw-ups caused it to be delayed again and again.)
For procedural/legal reasons etc, this promise had to be on a "nod and a wink" basis, but sources close to Robinson (East Belfast/GFC) and McGuinness (Derry/DCFC) at the time made it pretty clear that this should happen. Most recently, the NI Sports mininster (and IFA) have specifically mentioned the Glentoran grant, and while the Brandywell has not been so specified in writing, a local (SDLP) Councillor in Derry referred specifically to it as funding Phases Two and Three:
"Councillor Tierney – a lifelong Derry City fan who is standing as an MLA in the upcoming election – explained that the local council had footed the bill for Phase One of the Brandwell revamp (believed to have cost somewhere in the region of £7m, and which transformed the turf pitch into a 4G one).
He said that since at least 2016, the understanding has been that the cash for Phase Two (which he said had not been 100% costed as yet) would be coming from the [sub-regional] stadium fund.
This would mean significant work to at least two of the spectator stands, bringing the venue up to European standards."
https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/po...freeze-3573786
Now I know this was said in the run-up to (yet another bloody) election, but Tierney has been both consistent and explicit in this regard, eg:
https://www.derrynow.com/news/derry-...m-funding.html
In addition, Philip O'Doherty was also pretty clear in statements from February (i.e. same time as Cllr.Tierney) that DCFC would be entitled to receive significant funding from the Sub-regional fund (if only the people at Stormont could get their act together*):
"Derry City FC chairman Philip O’Doherty has expressed his frustration at the latest delay in the sub regional stadia project and has called for the £36 million fund to be increased to combat rising inflation costs.
The plans to release funds promised to upgrade football stadiums across the north have been shelved, with Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey claiming the financial package needs to be signed off by the Executive.
Derry City Football Club, as anchor tenants of the Council-owned Brandywell venue, hoped to see the roll out of plans which included the construction of two sides on the Mark Farren Stand to create a larger capacity."
https://www.derryjournal.com/sport/f...crease-3573842
[Meanwhile on a more technical note, EYG questioned whether there was physical room at the Brandywell for the 8k capacity promised for The Oval, but looking back through the original announcement, as revised in 2016, it states:
Purpose: To provide funding towards the achievement of safe stadia. The
stadium should be suitable for hosting high level competition matches with a
moderate capacity level of 6,000 to 8,000 persons
https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/si...for-soccer.pdf
Meaning that 6k should easily be accommodated the the Brandywell.]
* - I know, I know...
Last edited by EalingGreen; 17/05/2022 at 2:47 PM.
https://finnharps.ie/donegal-communi...date-may-2022/
Latest on Finn Harps stadium
Well since pateen asked we thought we should give an update
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
1) We've been through this. There was never any suggestion of Derry getting £10m from Stormont (other than from yourself), and the council there wasn't even looking for that amount. It was £3m, and I posted links which stated that. God knows why you're still claiming otherwise despite the evidence. You need to just accept this and move on. The required sum will have increased now due to the rise in construction costs, but even with that I still can't see it being £10m.
2) To repeat again, I can't see where you would fit 8,000 into the Brandywell. 6k absolutely, as I said. But I can't see how it can accomodate 8,000 without major surgery to its layout.
Last edited by EatYerGreens; 18/05/2022 at 11:21 PM.
....,
So its now alternative of the alternative, alternative, steel based, as it could have been say 2010, No messing at all with builders now...if Govt pony up it will be done this time by 2023? Whats the role of the original builder now, how much was paid to same to date, how has land transfer been sorted or minimise the vested interest that hampered the project. Is Finn Park still to remain in use and who will pay for upkeep of both when Stranrolar opens or have trustees agreed to sell - 2 stadia is some luxury to have and keep in safe condition!
"we are now very hopeful that the Department of Sport will approve the recommencement of work in the near future" How many times has this been said? Hope lives eternal but this is taking the pish! Local economy conjecture and stock BS. Project has become cheaper in the last 15 months by 3.5mil, sure hang on another 15 months.....
This project must have been held up by the ars*ng around of the original developer and a reneging on the land swap for Finn Park when it dropped in value, compounded by a mish mash of debt, nama, and the general f*ckaboutery in construction and someone still wanting a cut rather than cutting losses and sucking up the gamble that didnt pay off, like the average person is expected to do.
The way the the Dept of Sport kept this project at arms length is indicative of how things have been messy and not a reneging on the project in principle - I vaguely recall it being said that funding is fully in place previously? And yeah its a bit fresh to seem so frustrated by the messing when my own club may not even have applied for ground development grants, but at least there hasnt been wasting of time and money submitting plans, start work, change tack again and again using grant money amend plans, to now do it... again. Bohs selling Dalymount twice and Rovers needing to have Tallaght bailed by SDCC is really off in the distance now in comparison to this saga!
The switch to steel does beg the obvious question as to why this wasn't proposed/pursued previously. There are clubs in England who've had this model very successfully for a number of years now, so it's not like it's a new thing.
I share your scepticism after so long, bit hopefully this will finally FINALLY come to fruition.
Its been done in the biggest stadia for about 20 years with UEFA blessing, a no brainer, fraction of the cost of poured concrete with prefab sections also meaning much quicker completion. There has to be back scratching with concrete providers among many others for sticking with this outdated, inefficient and seriously environmentally damaging process. A stand can also be shoehorned in to an awkward and small site footprint never mind a greenfield site. We really need to stop with the construction gravy train in this country!! Its a general issue with a lot of capital projects but whatever has actually gone on on the Stranrolar build is a perfect storm or simply individuals holding out to get a slice of the grant pie or to recover a land speculation loss from the 2000s.
Both Tierney and O'Doherty are in a position to know and they've specifically referred to Stormont money from the Sub-Regional fund being due to the Brandywell, including Phase Two/Farren Stand. They're not making it up.
And as for the exact sum involved, inflation over a decade, plus the fact that some of the money has been put forward by the Council, may mean that it will be reduced from £10m.
But you know the way Stormont works (or did do when Robinson and McGuinness were in charge): "If Themmuns is gettin' £Xm, then we must get it, too."
You tried to derail my whole point by asserting that the Brandywell physically cannot accommodate 8k capacity.
But the Stormont documentation I quoted specifies "6k-8k", which lower figure brings the Brandywell back into the equation.
In fact I wouldn't be at all surprised if that capacity range was deliberately arrived at to allow for both sites to come within it i.e. 8k for The Oval and 6k for the Brandywell.
Re your bold, the perfect illustration of this is seen in Brentford's new stadium. It was built on a cramped, triangular site between three railway lines - previously it was only fit to operate a waste disposal facility - which dictated the unusual shape and design of the stadium.
But as this 2 minute time lapse video shows, building with pre-fab steel must have been far easier than had they used the old cast concrete method - doubtless much cheaper too, as well as being much more environmentally friendly etc:
Incidentally they started demolishing Brentford's old Griffin Park ground immediately the new stadium was finished - the Council requires houses to be built on the site - but that still hasn't been completed, because GP was basically concrete, including terraces, and that takes a lot of time and work to remove.
So the current plan for the Harps stadium now is the main stand to proceed as originally envisaged and then the rest is almost a mirror image of Salford City's stadium with a row or 2 extra? Whether it happens or not is one question but it seems a good plan to me. Especially if they put the TV gantry on the small side.
I wonder whether they are planning precast concrete decking on those stands or whether it's the more lightweight modular ones like Crusaders up north. Either option is probably good enough but precast concrete definitely feels better under foot. I hope it proceeds anyway and is done quickly from this point. There's barely a ground in the country that wouldn't be improved by lightweight, covered 6 or 7 row stands going in opposite the main stand or behind the goal(s).
Its a lot to do with the spiraling cost, the original model/plan was conceived 15-20 years ago. Since then we had a massive worldwide recession, breixt, covid and not to mention successive inept & self serving governments in that time
54 Crew-Finn Harps FC Supporters Club
Following Harps Home & Away
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Other projects have been delivered under the same circumstances. I'll accept inflationary pressures and pairing back on SCG would have slowed things down but there is a lot more to the delays, and the defense above is largely a bunch of excuses. Even getting the main stand to usability and the pitch in like Athlone, would not be 15-20 years brexit/covid/recession/inflation/government delays - what about self serving construction companys bailing on agreements. If agreements were not in place then it is the club that is inept. Was there the required tender process for to appoint the construction company? I ask because if there wasnt and the builder has gone bust there is little recourse to get funding released as a new tender process et al would be needed. The Dept of Sport really dont want incomplete facilities that they have already allocated grants for - the will seek a solution but they will walk away if there are issues with landownership, grant money not used as intended, or disputes internally at a club or with external parties eg builders or landowners.
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