As I outlined to the House in reply to parliamentary questions on 10 October last, Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Limited – CSID – estimates the cost of the development of the Sports Campus Ireland project, including Stadium Ireland, to be £550 million, to be funded from a combination of private and public sector money. This estimate covers the cost of an 80,000 seat stadium, where the cost remains at £281 million as outlined in the feasibility study, including a private contribution of £50 million. The cost also covers the other elements that will be provided in Sports Campus Ireland, including an aquatic and leisure centre, a multi-purpose indoor arena, multi-purpose indoor training halls and pitches, a sports science and sports medicine centre, headquarters for sports organisations, a visitor centre and other sports facilities to be decided in consultation with the Irish Sports Council.
The development is being undertaken on a design, build, finance, operate and maintain basis. CSID estimates that of the total cost of £550 million, the return related and fully funded private sector elements are in the region of £150 million. Taking account of the private donation of £50 million, the remaining public sector cost is estimated at £350 million.
Information in relation to the lodging of an application for planning permission and when construction of the various elements of the project will commence are matters for CSID. However, I can tell the House that CSID is proceeding as quickly as possible with the aquatic and leisure centre, with the aim of having it ready by the end of 2002 to enable the Special Olympics to take place there in the summer of 2003.
The feasibility study outlined that a minimum base case of six events per year was required to make the stadium viable. The study also outlined the positive response from the major sporting organisations to holding games in the stadium. Against the background of the findings of the feasibility study, CSID is having discussions with the national sporting organisations about the number of events that will take place in the stadium.