Work has started on Northern Ireland's first national stadium, but the decision to locate it at the site of the old Maze prison is proving divisive, writes Carissa Casey.
From an old British army watchtower, you can survey the entire 340-acre site of the old Maze prison. Among the desolate concrete blocks below is the grey stretch of yard where Billy Wright was shot, the hospital building where the hunger strikers died, the gate used during the 1983 breakout.
By the end of this year, most of it will be flattened to make way for the most ambitious regeneration project ever attempted in Northern Ireland, a massive development of retail, housing and industrial units and, most controversial of all, a 42,000-seat multi-purpose national stadium.
The proposed Maze arena incites as much, if not more, passionate debate among Belfast people as policing or politics. Many are outraged. Belfast City Council has even announced plans for a rival stadium. The Belfast Visitors and Convention Bureau has described it as the "gravest mistake".
The Amalgamation of Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs (NISB) - a football organisation - has openly accused the government of pursuing a political agenda at the expense of sporting interests.
Even the Northern Ireland branch of the august Institute of Directors has declared itself against it. At its recent annual dinner, it invited as guest speaker Paul Sergeant, former chief executive of Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Sergeant told the 400 or so guests that the Maze arena would likely become a "white elephant". "If a stadium is placed in the middle of nowhere and only used perhaps once a fortnight, it won't be much use," he said.
The proposed site is hardly in the middle of nowhere. It lies between the perimeter wall of the old Long Kesh internment camp and the M1 motorway from Belfast, about a 15-minute drive from the city centre. The government claims there are plans to widen the motorway and create new public transport links. The Maze's detractors claim this will never happen.
"The new Wembley stadium has budgeted for 70 trains an hour to transport 40,000 people. If we have only half that number of fans we're still talking 35 trains an hour and we don't have that stock in Northern Ireland," says Gary McAllister of the NISB.
But infrastructure links are just one of the objections. McAllister is not happy about the decision-making process for the Maze site, claiming it was and still is shrouded in secrecy. He says the shortlist of 12 proposed sites for a national stadium was whittled down to the Maze virtually overnight.
"They're determined to do something positive about a site that reflects Northern Ireland's troubled past, but it's not in the interests of football," he says.
The size of the proposed arena is also an issue. Northern Ireland international football matches will never attract a 40,000-strong following, says McAllister, and a sense of atmosphere will be lost. There is also the tricky issue of releasing the Irish Football Association (IFA) from a 100-year contract with Linfield to hold international games at Windsor Park, a stadium badly in need of a major upgrade. The IFA's president, Jim Boyce, has already warned that unless a new roof is built at Windsor Park, Northern Ireland may be forced to play home games in Scotland or England.
"We gave support in principle to the Maze one year ago with the caveat that Windsor Park needed to be fit for purpose until such time that a new stadium was available," says IFA chief executive Howard Wells. "Ultimately, we have to ensure that an agreement can be made with Linfield and that Windsor will stay afloat - and obviously finance is needed to do that."
Not surprisingly, the burghers of Belfast are among the most vocal on the Maze issue, fearing a loss of revenue and status for Northern Ireland's main city. "It is the simplest no-brainer ever that it [the national stadium] should be in the city of Belfast, where there is the infrastructure," says Gerry Lennon of the Belfast Visitor Convention Bureau.
Belfast City Council has gone out to tender for a rival stadium and the most likely site within the city is Ormeau Park. However, the road network around the park is as unlikely to cope with a large number of fans converging on the site for a major fixture as the Maze site. And government sources say that the planning authorities will hardly allow a public park to be re-designated for a privately-operated sports stadium.
The tension between the two camps is palpable. "If it was such a great idea to build a stadium in Belfast, how come no one ever thought about it before the Maze site was suggested," said a government source.
Meanwhile, there are mutterings of discontent within the GAA. Its president Nicky Brennan has signed up. "This stadium will give us a wonderful opportunity, not just in terms of its facilities, but also because everyone in society will have a shared space they can be proud of and which embodies a bright new future," he said.
But Antrim GAA chairman Dr John McSparran admits that "certain elements on the ground are not happy". "Some of our fans would have strong political convictions. Some feel the Maze arena is a good way of preserving the memory of what happened there, others feel it's inappropriate."
Dr McSparran is more concerned with whether the GAA commitment to use the Maze site will divert funds normally available for other GAA grounds, such as west Belfast's Casement Park, which will require refurbishment in the near future. "I have been reassured funds will be available, but you can never be absolutely certain," he says.
Of all the sporting organisations Ulster Rugby, which has also made a public commitment to the stadium, appears to be the least taxed by the issue. Its chief executive, Mike Reid, says that a huge increase in demand for seated season tickets means his organisation needs a venue with more seats for larger games.
While the reaction by sports fans is mixed at best, the normally most divided group in Northern Ireland - the five political parties - have broadly given their agreement. Chair of the Maze/Long Kesh Monitoring Group is Democratic Unionist Party stalwart Edwin Poots, while the vice-chair position is held by Sinn Féin's Paul Butler. Both have endorsed the plan, with Poots claiming it will generate £1 billion (€1.49 billion ) of investment in Northern Ireland.
Regardless of any opposition however, the government is forging ahead. The demolition work has started, the naming rights are up for grabs and the design team responsible for Croke Park, Mott MacDonald and HOK Sport, has already been appointed.
But the biggest hurdle is still ahead. The entire Maze regeneration plan has a current price tag of about £400 million. A private sector partner, prepared to foot at least half the bill, is critical to the overall plan. According to the government, there is strong interest and an announcement is expected over the coming months.