Sports Complex To Replace Bertie Bowl
Updated : Jul 27, 2009
A €150m sports campus on a site previously earmarked for the 'Bertie Bowl' has been given the go-ahead.
Fingal County Council has granted permission to the National Sports Campus Development Authority (NSCDA) for the project.
However, the authority chief executive, Barry O'Brien, has admitted there is a doubt over whether Government money for the sprawling development is still available.
Fingal gave permission the same week as An Bord Snip Nua recommended funding for the development be scrapped.
The facility is to be built on a 220-acre site in Abbotstown, North Dublin, where former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had wanted to locate a 70,000-seater stadium.
While there is no sign of Bertie's much-maligned bowl, permission has been granted for a world-class sports hub containing rugby, soccer and GAA pitches.
The impressive plans also make provision for parklands, lakes, picnic areas and cycling tracks as well as buildings to house the FAI, the Irish Institute of Sport and a multi-purpose sports centre.
