DCC give go ahead for Dalymount planning permission
Bohemian FC is delighted that this evening’s Dublin City Council meeting ratified the approval of the Part 8 Planning Application for the full Dalymount Park Redevelopment Project. This is a hugely significant day for our club.
The key details of the planning permission granted are:
- Reorientation of the pitch to a North/South Axis (105m x 68m) and installation of a new sand-based grass pitch
- The provision of club offices, bar and merchandise store
- New stands to the east and west side with provision for c. 6,240 seats and two new terraces to the north and south with provision for c. 1,794 standing. (8,034 total capacity)
- The provision of a public thoroughfare along the eastern boundary connecting North Circular Road and Connaught Street to include various eateries and a new public plaza
- A community facility with an area of 585sq.m over two floors to include a multi-functional community room and a community gym
- The provision of modern match-day facilities for teams and officials
- This was the penultimate step in a long and complex process that the club has been engaged in since 2011 when the stadium’s future was uncertain. Many people, within Bohemian FC, DCC, political parties, the FAI and the local area have enabled us to reach this point.
Daniel Lambert, Bohemian FC COO, said:
“Dalymount Park has hosted thousands of football games, enjoyed by millions of supporters, continuously since 1901, while also being an integral part of the general sporting, cultural and societal fabric of Dublin City. It has, however, long passed its capability to provide an appropriate, safe and modern facility for football and community use. Despite this Dalymount Park remains sold-out every Friday, a testament to the strength of our club in its community.
“We have engaged extensively with DCC since their acquisition of the stadium in 2015 and thank them for their considerable efforts to get us to this point. We would also like to put on record our gratitude to various ministers for their engagement with the club over the years, in particular the strong support of Minister Paschal Donohoe, and also the cross-party support and engagement of many local TDs and councillors throughout the process.
“With planning now, we call on the government to ensure that the appropriate funding mechanism is in place to enable progression to construction phase. As we have seen across capital projects with levels of inflation, any delays to the process can cause significant complications and ultimately added cost to the exchequer.
“We now have a plan to deliver the right stadium for Bohs, Dublin 7 and the city as a whole, at a cost that is appropriate, and that has public and political support. What we need now is the government to ensure the right funding is now forthcoming so that we can have a community stadium to be proud of at the Home of Irish Football.
“The realisation of this redevelopment will be transformative, not only for Bohemian FC, across all of our extensive activities in football and social outreach work, but also for the local Dublin 7 community who gain greatly through the provision of a community building and new, safe, cycle and pedestrian routes in an inner-city environment.
“At present, many young fans and families cannot access Dalymount with every game sold out; young fans and aspiring young footballers unable to see their heroes. As a fan-owned football club, Bohemians’ growth, across all activities, is also currently restricted with match-day revenues key to our model, one which has no capacity for private enrichment, and solely aimed to be a force for good. It is hard to overstate the benefits the redevelopment will bring to the club and community, for many generations to come.”
Jonathan Hill, FAI CEO, said:
“This is great news, and we thank and congratulate both Dublin City Council and Bohemian FC for all they have done to get us to this point. This is an exciting step forward in our wider Facility Vision, and we will look to replicate what’s been achieved here across other LOI clubs where a similar transformation of facilities, for players, fans and our media partners will enable us to change the face of Irish club football moving forward.”
