Dublin City Council have lodged a formal planning application to redevelop Dalymount Park.
The architect team of IDOM & Gilroy McMahon have been tapped by the Council to sketch out the detailed design phase of the project, and during this process, there will be consultation with all the relevant stakeholders including the FAI, Bohemian FC and the wider North Dublin community.
Under the plan, Dalymount Park will have a capacity of just over 8,000, and become a four-sided stadium.
The revamped Dalymount Park would leap to the 2nd biggest stadium in the League of Ireland by capacity, with Shamrock Rovers on track to increase their capacity to over 10,000 in the coming years.
New stands to the east and west side will amount to 6,240 seats and two new terraces to the north and south will allow for just under 1,800 standing fans.
A public thoroughfare along the eastern boundary connecting North Circular Road and Connaught Street has been earmarked as part of the plans, along with various eateries and a new public plaza.
The match-day facilities for teams and officials will also be upgraded as part of the process.
The current timeline for completion of the redeveloped stadium is the start of the 2027 season but the Council stressed “this is very much dependent on further funding becoming available for the construction stage from Government.”
Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste welcomed the announcement, saying “the redevelopment of this iconic stadium will provide a modern municipal facility that will not just be of benefit to Bohemian FC but also the wider Dublin Community.”
“I’d like to acknowledge all the ongoing hard work and commitment from both the City Council staff and the Design Team tasked with delivering this project and I have no doubt this will continue as we progress to the next stage of the redevelopment process,” he said.
Daniel Lambert, Chief Operating Officer of Bohemian FC commented, “Bohemian FC is delighted to mark this hugely significant day. 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,” he said.
“We have engaged extensively with Dublin City Council since their acquisition of the stadium in 2015 and thank them for their considerable efforts to get us to this point; in particular the work of Brendan Kenny initially, and more recently Richard Shakespeare, both of whom have always shown a firm commitment to this historic site.”
“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.”
“We expect the Part 8 planning to be granted in early 2024 at the February Council meeting and now call on the government to ensure that the appropriate funding mechanism is in place to enable progression to construction phase”
“Any delays to the process can cause significant complications,” he stated.