So no grants were drawn down with the 10% contribution for planning and project, project wasnt started, stopped, more funding applied for and granted for updated plans which are now up to scratch hopefully, and now more grant money to be applied for which may or may not be enough to complete the entire project because grants need matching to do anything, but if it is the entire project even at €10m means Harps need €1m minimum to get going again - you might get a floodlight pole for the €10m these days and on we go again, new grants for new plans in 20 years....Originally Posted by Roones26
No seriously, Nigel is right I have been the one to question this whole saga the most, cause it makes little sense from what ilittle nfo wasnt redacted. At one stage the funding was said to have been secured and ringfenced, a phased development was mooted too and started so there was more to it than just funding and certainly not matching funding - a whole complex maybe but not for Finn Pairc Nua itself. The simplest explination is that old Finn Park dropped in value and a builder became awkward. I did work many years ago with sport grant applications and evaluations and it has never added up. I suspect that for all the reading between the lines that there are things over the years that cant really be in the open for whatever reason. I questioed the Tallaght situation plenty too at the time but it was pretty obvious what had gone wrong there and then the hassle in trying to find solutions without GAA messing or someone trying to make a quick € with gyms instead of stands bs...was housing ever a part of a plan to get Tallaght going again back in the day? I dont think so but for years any stadium proposal seemed to have about 500000 houses attached (funnily enough with hindsight maybe that was the way to go).
I now see that what Harps are doing makes sense, even eperating club and stadium ownership and models. There is a completeness to the preliminary work that would get through the capital grant process with no hint of a wink and a nod between a builder doing a land swap AND get the grant money to do the new build, maybe tax clearance certs werent supplied, maybe there were issues with land ownership/transfer. It feels right now and therefore should recieve whatever capital grant is allocated in full. Im not saying that will complete the project but it should allow Harps to move in to a new ground that can be further developed.
Take Sligo as a contrast, irrespective of what they have already delivered at the Showgrounds, the submitted a proposal which was excellent, made sense and is being backed significantly with possibly the biggest single grant to LoI, it too wont cover all but its a major statement of what is possible if done properly (I trust Sligo to deliver now that Ive backed them).
Its a disgrace that Dundalk have not being applying for grants for spectator facilities but a seriously complex development plan is needed, more technical than Harps or Sligo, I have a good idea of the potential problems and liklihood of failure if its a re/development of Oriel - maybe LouthCoCos new CEO will be less over my dead body GAA kind so what exists could be 'modernised'. It is frustrating that there is a greenfield site the other side of the YDC that is quite adequate for from scratch job. Rule of thumb was €1m per 1000 seats, a new Oriel wouldnt be far off what Dalymount would cost between land aquisition, services including roads. Louth GAA stadium with a 4k stand and terracing was priced at €25m in 2020 and the figures grow every day no building happens. CHI were over a barrell due to inflation on a €1bil project, doubled now and its not all project management inefficiencies!! Dalymount will be trimmed imo, Jodi MkII and covvered terracing with maybe a refurb of the old Jodi Stand underneath? Unless it really is a total area regeneration but the fat will still be trimmed.
Anyway I will lay off the worn old moaning about issues with stadium development, it all a rehash and is now stating the obvious. Harps are now on the right track after what is mammth work, Ill be kind by saying not fully thought through initially, but will call out the issues no more cause now its a good bet from project perspective and I hope there will be the financial buy in. Same for Sligo and others. Id like Dundalk to not totally be left behind and at least invest fully in a plan with local and national government asnd FAI to make incremental improvements possible. Hey maybe the council will give us the land off the Ardee Road as they gave Drogheda land - they can have Oriel in Lieu...
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