Casement Park is a contaminated site. Asbestos containing materials (ACMs) are widely present within the made ground on which the current facility has been constructed. If the site is redeveloped as a new 34,500 capacity stadium, the made ground would be excavated, resulting in disturbance of the ACMs. That disturbance risks the release of asbestos fibres, a cancer-causing material which would pose a serious threat to the health and wellbeing of residents living in the dwellings which abut the ground on three sides (the ‘horseshoe’ of Mooreland and Owenvarragh).

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The presence of ACMs in the made ground of Casement Park dates back to the period following World War II. Prior to the construction of Casement Park as a GAA playing ground, the site was used as a landfill for dumping debris from the Belfast bombing blitz of World War II. According to the contractor (since deceased) who built the houses that now comprise Owenvarragh Park, because of all the toxic waste material that was dumped into the site, it would not be suitable for excavation. The only option was to further fill the site with appropriate backfill and make it into a playing field. That was duly done, and the site went on to become Casement Park, which opened on 14 June 1953 with a hurling challenge match between Cork and Galway.

Now, to the alarm of local residents, the GAA is proposing to fully excavate the site in preparation for the construction of a new stadium. As stated in the Environmental Statement (ES) submitted with the planning application for the redevelopment of Casement Park¹ , that will entail “the excavation of approximately 110,000 cubic metres of soils, removing a large portion of the made ground from the site”² . The ES acknowledges the risk that excavation will release asbestos fibres³:

“The main activity which may increase fibre release potential on the Casement Park site is the proposed earthworks. Significant earthworks will be required to create the proposed site formation level. The earthworks will involve excavation of soils using mechanical excavators which may break asbestos pieces into smaller pieces and give rise to soil borne dust.”

As set out in the ES, the approach to mitigation of the excavation risks appears to depend mainly on spotting ACMs before they are broken, i.e. “screening of excavated soil to remove asbestos pieces will also be undertaken via mechanical screening and hand picking.” That approach is not very assuring.

Such a major excavation of soils in which asbestos containing materials are known to be present is extremely concerning to local residents and those going about their business in the local area. If asbestos fibres were released during the excavation, they would not be confined to the construction site, but would be dispersed across the horseshoe and beyond. That is noted in the ES, which includes “off-site residential receptors” among those at risk from soil-generated dust containing asbestos⁴ .

However, asbestos risks are not confined to the excavation of the made ground. The development proposals include the demolition of the existing stands and buildings. But it is highly likely that asbestos containing materials are also present in the existing stadium stands and buildings. That is the conclusion to be drawn from the Visual Asbestos Survey reported in the GAA’s Environmental Statement⁵ . Nonetheless, the Casement Park Environmental Statement does not appear to include a mitigation strategy for managing the demolition risks.

Furthermore, asbestos is not the only contaminant present in the Casement Park site. The soil sample results reported in the Environmental Statement also indicated the presence of toxic cancer-causing hydrocarbons, such as benzo(a)pyrene, as well as arsenic⁶. Carbon dioxide and methane were detected by gas monitoring on the site.

In addition, the development proposal includes the use of piling, with a total of 1,056 reinforced concrete bored piles. However, as stated in the Environmental Statement, “piling activities are likely to increase the risk of contamination being transported by creating new pathways” for dispersal of toxic materials⁷ . Further, piling is not recommended in the Casement Park context (contaminated land underlain by an aquifer), but that is the ‘cost-effective’ solution!

The main concern with the proposed disturbance of contaminants on the Casement Park site is the risk to human health and safety. That is sufficient reason to leave the site undisturbed and cancel the proposed over-sized stadium.

In addition, if demolition and excavation were to commence, dealing with the contamination would certainly result in time delays and escalating costs. In the current climate, with the Northern Ireland Executive facing an £800 million budget shortfall, the financial costs of mitigating contamination in order to construct an over-sized new stadium are obscene.

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1 Application LA04/2017/0474/F, which can be viewed on the Northern Ireland Planning Portal at
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/planning-portal/.
2 Para 4.2, Section 4 Development Proposals, RPS Remedial Strategy Report, Casement Park ES Volume III,
Appendix 7.3, February 2017.
3 Para 10.5, Section 10 Asbestos in Soil, RPS Generic Quantitative Risk Assessment, Casement Park ES Volume
II, Appendix 7.2, February 2017.
4 Table 14, Section 10 Asbestos in Soil, RPS Generic Quantitative Risk Assessment, Casement Park ES Volume II,
Appendix 7.2, February 2017.
5 Application LA04/2017/0474/F, which can be viewed on the Northern Ireland Planning Portal at
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/planning-portal/.
6 For a summary of the contaminants of concern, see Section 2 Contaminant distribution, RPS Remedial
Strategy Report, Casement Park ES Volume III, Appendix 7.3, February 2017.
7 Piling Risk Assessment, Appendix B, RPS Remedial Strategy Report, Casement Park ES Volume III, Appendix
7.3, February 2017.