FORMER London GAA chairman Larry O’Leary has criticised the current County Board for failing to deliver the development of the Irish TV Grounds in Ruislip on schedule.
The London County Board read a statement to their delegates at a meeting on Monday confirming that construction of the £4.17million project would not begin until May 2016, having been initially planned for June of this year.
It means GAA enthusiasts in London will now have to wait until May 2017 to access upgraded facilities at British GAA's headquarters, rather than next summer.
O’Leary, who was London GAA chairman for seven years, admits he is embarrassed by the situation, but it did not come as a surprise.
“We heard on Monday night but I think we’d all known for a couple of weeks because there were all sorts of rumours circulating,” he told The Irish Post.
“The tenders were coming in at £2.5m over budget, which would bring the development cost up to nearly £7m.
“My own feeling is that it’s very embarrassing – we had the president of the Association over not long ago and now it’s not happening.
“They say it’s put off for a year but they have to re-submit their plans apparently, so they have to start from scratch.
“What they’re going to try to do is go away and find a way to re-jig the spec and maybe they’ll find a contractor to do the work for a lot closer to the budget.”
A new 2,330 seater stand is part of the plans as well as four new dressing rooms, a referee’s room, a gym, a treatment room and a redeveloped pitch.
O’Leary concedes that building a stand is no easy feat, having tried to do so during his own reign, but admits the current state of affairs is nonetheless disappointing.
He added: “I was chairman for seven years and during that time we talked about building a bit of a stand, but that was going to cost £900,000 alone back then.
“Something has to be done very soon because the place is an absolute tip. It’s a disgrace that we’re getting lads coming from all corners of London and there are no facilities for them.
“It’s disappointing and embarrassing really, that’s how I’d sum it up. It’s an awful pity because it’s taken a long time and we’re still no further forward. I suppose the cynics will ask if it’s ever going to happen.”
