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by Julie Ann Spence
Pictured before Lisburn City
Council's Special Meeting of Planning Committee
are: (back l-r) Mr Jim Rose, Director of Leisure
Services; Mr Colin McClintock, Director of
Environmental Services; Mr Norman Davidson,
Chief Executive; Councillor William Ward, Vice
Chairman; Mr Ian Wilson, Assistant Director of
Environmental Services. (Front l-r) The Mayor,
Councillor James Tinsley; Janine Graham, HOK
Sport Architecture; Bill Dowey, Mott McDonald;
Councillor William Leathem, Chairman of the
Planning Committee and Mr Edgar Jardine, DCAL.
LISBURN City Council is to write to the
Northern Ireland Assembly's Committee for Culture, Arts and
Leisure, criticising them for refusing to meet the Maze Stadium
Architects, HOK Sport.
The Councillors took the decision at Monday
night's Planning Committee meeting, to which they welcomed the
architects and heard details about the design of the proposed
National Stadium.
The architects, who conceded they attended
the meeting with some trepidation following their rejection by
the Assembly Committee, received a warm welcome and were
delighted with the support they received. Following their
presentation, councillors all voiced their unanimous support for
the project. Councillor Paul Porter, seconded by Alderman Ivan
Davis, proposed the council write to the Assembly Committee
expressing their disappointment at the treatment of the
architects.
Alderman Jim Dillon also proposed letters be
sent to each of the party leaders, stating Lisburn City
Council's unanimous support for the Maze project. Speaking after
the meeting, Chairman of the Committee, Councillor William
Leathem said: This would truly be a wonderful addition to
Northern Ireland's infrastructure, not just Lisburn. There is no
doubt that the number of jobs and the boost to tourism would
benefit the Northern Ireland economy in addition to the
wonderful sporting opportunities for athletes right across
Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland "It will he a great
shame if this once in a lifetime opportunity for the people of
Northern Ireland is lost. There is no suitable alternative site
and I would urge everyone to look at the bigger picture for
Northern Ireland as a whole."
New stadium could be a mecca
for music fans
DETAILS of how the proposed new stadium at
the Maze could bring up to 50,000 to the city for concerts have
been given to Lisburn Council.
With much of the focus on the planned stadium
on its use by GAA, football and rugby, member of the council's
Planning Committee heard on Monday night how it could bring some
of the world's leading musicians here as well.
Maze Stadium architects, HOK Sport, took up
an invitation from the committee to meet them and provided
details about the design of the stadium. They also revealed that
the stadium design was flexible enough to provide a centre stage
and could accommodate up to 50,000 music fans.
In recent years more and more world class
acts have been travelling to Northern Ireland, including the
Queen of Country Dolly Parton, chart toppers Girls Aloud and
Westlife and comeback kids Take That even kicked off their last
UK tour in Belfast.
If the Maze Stadium, gets the go ahead, the
venue could attract even bigger artists to the Province and,
with a capacity some five times bigger than the Odyssey, it
could even begin to compete with Croke Park as a major concert
venue.
Speaking at a recent Assembly debate on the
issue, Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister, Edwin Poots, stressed
the new stadium would not be taking business from existing
Northern Ireland venues.
"In relation to concerts, we are aiming to
take business away from the Point Depot, Slane Castle, and Croke
Park," said Mr Poots. "We are not aiming to take business away
from the Odyssey Arena or any other events that take place in
Northern Ireland. Over 50% of the people attending one of the
latest concerts in the Odyssey Arena did not come from Northern
Ireland.
"If we have a quality venue � wherever that
venue may be � we have the ability to bring tens of thousands of
people to Northern Ireland each year, which will add millions of
pounds to our economy"
Mr Tony Whitehead from the Strategic Investment Board, at the
same Assembly debate, added: "The chief executive of the Odyssey
Arena, Nicky Dunn, has been one of the key consultees in the
process all along to ensure that any events that we attract to
the stadium are complementary to the Odyssey Arena."
Ulster Star
11/04/2008
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