Maze prison best location for Northern Ireland stadium

摘要

The site of the notorious Maze prison is the best location for Northern Ireland's proposed multi-purpose stadium, an investigation concluded last week. A fully-costed feasibility study by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) found that the site at Long Kesh near Lisburn represented the best value for money location for a $476M arena. The consultant's final report argues that although it would take $250M to build the stadium and $226M to improve transport infrastructure in the area, the net cost to the taxpayer after four years would be $144M if the 38,500-seater stadium hosted 23 major sporting and music events a year. Even this cost, the report claims, could be balanced by non-monetary benefits such as the project's contribution to sports development, greater community cohesion through provision of a shared space and the improved external image of Northern Ireland for both visitors and investors. Closed in 2000, the Maze prison held many of the most notorious Republican and Loyalist paramilitary figures. Demolition of the development began in October 2006, a symbol of the peace process.