IRFU and FAI submit Lansdowne plans

Plans for the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road were submitted to Dublin City Council early this morning.

The €365 million project is a joint venture between the IRFU and the FAI, with the government contributing €191 million of the costs.

The proposed stadium has been designed by HOK Sports Architecture in conjunction with leading Irish company Scott Tallon Walker and will have an all-seater capacity of 50,000.

It is hoped that construction on the stadium will begin in the first quarter of 2007, if the planning permission is secured within the one-year period allocated to due process. The current stadium will therefore be available for games throughout 2006.

Objections can be lodged against the proposed plans after their submission, which may lead to An Bord Pleanála delaying the process further if needs be.

Both associations are currently in negotiations with the GAA over the possible renting of Croke Park throughout the period of construction.  Those talks appear to be progressing well, with outgoing GAA President Seán Kelly eager to complete the historic deal before he hands over the reins to Nicky Brennan on April 22nd this year.

The IRFU too are eager to reach an agreement in order to formulate fixture plans for 2007 which are expected at a meeting with the Six Nations Committee next week.

The new stadium when complete will consist of four tiers of spectator seating on the south, east and west sides. There will be 10,000 premium seats and 1,300 corporate boxes in the second and third tiers, many of which will be sold prior to construction to help with funding.

The north end will consist of one low level tier for spectators due to its proximity to residential housing.