Pairc Tailteann project unlikely to start until late 2025

Work on the redevelopment of Pairc Tailteann is unlikely to start until the final quarter of this year.

Meath GAA supporters have become accustomed to delays and setbacks on the much-needed improvements to the venue. They will be earnestly hoping that this time attempts to get the project over the line will prove successful.

As might be expected, putting the necessary finance in place remains a major issue although Noel Dempsey - the chairman of the Meath GAA infrastructure committee overseeing the project - is hopeful that all the necessary funds will be available to allow work to get under way in the third quarter of 2025 or, more realistically, the fourth quarter.

At one time in this long-running saga (it kicked off in 2016) it was envisaged very extensive reconstruction work would be carried out at Pairc Tailteann but now the ambitions are less lofty.

Now the aim is to replace the old, crumbling and dangerous stand at the venue with a new 5,000-seat structure and install floodlights. While Meath GAA are, at this stage, reluctant to put a put a final figure on the price of the development, it is understood that such work would cost north of €20 million. It is expected, or at least hoped, that the preferred bidder for the tender will be selected by the start of the summer.

"I'm certainly hoping that work can start this year," said Noel Dempsey. "Optimistically we would be aiming for work to start in the third quarter but realistically, for financial and other reasons, we would probably be talking about the fourth quarter of 2025."

"The final tender documents are being completed now. We would expect that we will have the finalised documents by the end of January, early February. Then you have to go to the OPW because we are getting a Government LSSIF (Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund) grant of €8.5 million. The documents have to go to the OPW just to make sure that they are in order. That's a fairly fast process because they have a system set up for these grants."

"In parallel with that we have to adjust the height of the original stand we were planning to build. Originally we had applied for planning for a 7,000 seater stand so it's now a 5,000 seater because of costs so we just have to have that reflected in the planning but we don't expect that will cause any delays. We had a meeting with the design team before Christmas and we were assured that was moving along and that was on schedule.

"That's one side of it, the final design and everything else is done, it's just the detailed drawings and everything else that goes into a tender. We have to spell out fairly clearly, make sure we are not caught at the building stage by somebody telling you 'oh we didn't know we had to do this' or whatever. "

That aspect of the project is undoubtedly worth spending time on because we have seen what can happen when a project is allowed to go on and on, like the construction of the Childrens' Hospital. "You can't be careful enough on that side of the planning process," added Dempsey.

The funds pencilled in for the project include the €8.5 million from the Government. Leinster Council have also promised €800,000 while Croke Park have committed €2.6 million which is being used currently "to pay commissions and charges." Then there is funds due to come into through the controversial Immigrant Investment Programme (IIP) Scheme. The amount which Meath GAA have been approved or guaranteed from that scheme is €12.8 million.

So far €2.4m from the IPP has been lodged in the Pairc Tailteann project account and since then 16 more donors have been approved and some have already made contributions.

"The only problem that we face is that both Croke Park and the Government are saying that you must be able to show us that you have the full amount for the project before you can turn a sod, that we have the money. We are quite confident we are going to get the money through those schemes."

The IIP Scheme is when donors, who are largely Chinese (although it can be any non-EEA nationals), make a donation to an approved project. Donations can take some time to process.

"Pairc Tailteann was one of the first major projects that were approved under that scheme and there are agents working for us looking for donors," added Dempsey.

"Each donor can contribute a minimum of €400,000, they can donate more if they wish. What donors get in return are rights of residency, a visa for a two-year period, but not passports. The visa is reviewed after two years and if all is in order is extended for another three or four years.

"The problem we have all the time is that it takes about two years to process the applications as they come in so the last batch of approvals we got was €6.4 million, the application and process for those donors started just over two years ago.

"We would expect that if the time-line remains the same that by September of this year we should have all of the donors' contributions, the full €12.8 million in our bank account. We're satisfied it will happen, we are operating on the basis it is going to happen and the project will be able to start during the course of this year."

Work, however, can't start until Croke Park and the Government are statisfied that this money will arrive.

Meath GAA fans will certainly be hoping that after so many previous attempts to get the project up and running that the badly-needed work can finally start on the construction of improved facilities at the Brews Hill venue.

This time last year there were suggestions that work would start in the third or fourth quarter of 2024. That didn't happen. Whether work will finally get underway in 2025 remains to be seen.