Keithblog

Members of the assembly Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee are due to quiz the Minister of Fun Edwin Poots on his plans for the former HMP Maze site later today at Stormont.

If Good Morning Ulster is to be believed (and it usually is) the new stadium will look something along the lines of the City of Manchester Stadium. It’ll have two sweeping lines around it which change colour depending on the teams playing.

Update

Nothing much happened…

• Planners came* from England,
• unionists walked out,
• planners left standing,
• presented their plans to the to the press,
• went home.

*without a feasibility study, or plans for funding.

I have been keeping track of MLAs in their first day of proper business. On the issue of equality for women in the house MLAs were undecided in how to tackle the issue. They are currently heading into the lobbies, for the first time, with a result due shortly.

Keithout

Update

The motion Women in Politics was carried with an amendment by the DUP (I think) - which was the cause of the all the bother.

Earlier a motion calling for the assembly to rejoin the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association was carried. Sinn Féin voted for it, stating that although it was not a priority for them, they would not block such a motion. The DUP didn’t give the same oversight to Sinn Féin’s motion on women in politics.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, Peter Hain seems to have taken somewhat of a u-turn on the plans for a national stadium at the former Maze Prison site. Hain told BBC Radio Five Live of the advantages of having a city centre stadium compared with one out of town.

This is in stark contrast to the Northern Ireland Office who have repeatedly dismissed any ideas for the new stadium to be built in Belfast rather than the former Maze Prison site near Lisburn.

The Stadium for Belfast petition has just found an unlikely allay.

Keithout

Mott MacDonald the UK based engineering and development agency has won a competition to redevelop the former Maze Prison site near Lisburn. All three main sports seem to love the idea, but Belfast City Council see things differently. The sheer thought of a new stadium outside Belfast is sending them out in hives.

Having said that, if the contest was on who’s website looks better ‘City of Belfast Stadium‘ would win hands down (check out the flythrough), now compare that to ‘New Future Maze-Long Kesh‘.

The Maze Prison Stadium (don’t think they will use that name, but just in case © Keith Greer 2006) will seat 35,000 football and rugby with an extra 12,000 spaces available for GAA fans to stand. The City Stadium would be located in Ormeau Park and could seat up to 25,000.

For some reason the Government seem set to use the Maze Prison Site, not entirely sure why. The OFMDFM’s ‘Regeneration of Former Security Sites‘ plan is really just an attempt to put these sites to good use.

I’ll let you decide for yourselves where it would be best situated, personally I’m setting up ‘City Village of Portglenone National Stadium field with seating benches’ all support welcome.

Keithout