IFA to consult public over Windsor Park

The Irish Football Association has launched the first stage of its public consultation process for the redevelopment of Windsor Park.

Having already appointed planning consultants and a design team to present a formal planning application at the end of the year, the IFA is now canvassing the views of the wider community.

With the help of £25.2million of funding from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, the IFA plans to increase overall capacity to 18,000, create brand new south and east stands and relocate its headquarters to the national stadium they share with Linfield.

The consultation process will last for 12 weeks and plans will be available for public viewing at seven locations in the Belfast area.

A statement from the governing body read: "The Irish FA is today launching a Community Consultation Process, which is the first phase of the wider community engagement process required to deliver the sustainable, economic, social, equality and environmental returns as part of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure investment in the Regional Stadium Development Programme.

"[It will] provide an opportunity for the wider community and groups with an interest in the stadium redevelopment to become better informed about the proposal and to contribute their views before a formal planning application is submitted.

"The aim is to bring about meaningful public engagement which contributes to the project design, helps to address any community concerns and to mitigate potentially negative impacts."

Northern Ireland have a run of four consecutive World Cup qualifiers at Windsor Park between this November and September 2013 before finishing their campaign with away trips to Luxembourg, Azerbaijan and Israel - during which time construction work is expected to take place.

Read the article @ The Irish Independent

Posted by BPS Town Planning Consultants