£1.8m 'on stadium consultation'

Alliance MLA Kieran McCarthy has said he is shocked £1.8m of public money has been paid to consultants looking into the Northern Ireland stadium issue.

Mr McCarthy said the amount was revealed at a Culture Arts and Leisure assembly committee meeting on Thursday.

"It is staggering to think £1.8m has been spent already, before a brick has been put in place on the new stadium."

A department spokeswoman said a large part of this figure went towards design costs and not just consultants.

Mr McCarthy said despite the amount of money spent little progress had been made on deciding where the stadium was to be built.

"Obviously thorough research must be undertaken on the stadium, but this would appear excessive," he said.

Plans have been drawn up for a 35,000-seater stadium for soccer, GAA and rugby at the site of the former Maze Prison, just outside Lisburn.

However, the plans have faced opposition from some unionists and people who believe the stadium should be built in Belfast.