DUP Postpones Plans For Stadium On Maze Site

Politicians Looking At Alternative Sites At Windsor Park Or Ravenhill

Longstanding plans calling for a national stadium in the North on the the former Maze prison site are on hold after DUP members called for a rethink, some expressing their belief that existing stadia could be upgraded at a reduced cost.

For months, Lisburn and Belfast members have been fighting over the plans, with Belfast City Council campaigning for a 'multi-sports stadium' within the city.

Such a venue would cater for football, rugby and GAA and is a key demand of Sinn Féin.

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said the site's tourism potential as a former prison was immense.

DUP politicians are said to believe that the national football and rugby grounds at Windsor Park and Ravenhill could be upgraded, without the need for the massive private investment required to build a new national stadiumfrom scratch.

A Sinn Féin spokesman said: "It would provide a lot of tourism for the north and you only have to look at the impact made by Robben Island in South Africa.

"Going back on this ... would not be in the interests of the community."

The proposed facility in the Maze Prison site would be built on 60 acres and would hold up to 40,000 people. But substantial investment would be required in order to upgrade transport links to the M1 motorway and the Belfast to Dublin rail line.

There would also be planning hurdles and land on the former MoD site, which has been given to the ministerial executive, would need to be decontaminated.

Linfield has warned it would have to be compensated for the loss of international football if the new stadium site is selected.

The head of Ulster rugby has said the facility could not be filled with fans, with the average gate around 10-12,000 at major fixtures.

The GAA could fill it but only for a limited number of events, while football attendance levels are also well below 35,000.