Kerry GAA County Board is negotiating the sale of its Austin Stack Park grounds in the centre of Tralee to a local business consortium in exchange for a 15,000-seat stadium in the town as part of a €100 million project.
Under the proposal from the consortium which is led by developers John Casey and Séamus O'Halloran, the project will involve a mixed-use development on an 11-acre site at Austin Stack Park and the adjacent grounds owned by John Mitchels GAA club.
According to a consortium spokesman, the project will involve the relocating of Austin Stack Park to a site on the outskirts of Tralee where the consortium will build a new 15,000-seat stadium, practice pitch, 20,000sq ft of offices and parking for 1,200 cars.
Although the proposed location has not been disclosed, The Irish Times understands the favoured site is part of Ballybeggan Racecourse, with the site being linked to the proposed Tralee ring road.
Redeveloping the existing Austin Stack Park would require rezoning of the land and the obtaining of planning permission, but if the project proceeds, it is predicted to create 500 full-time and 300 part-time jobs.
The consortium would also develop a 30-acre state-of-the-art GAA training academy near Farranfore. Such a facility has been identified by Kerry County Board as an imperative for its development of Gaelic football.
John Mitchels GAA club has been working on relocating for several years and is awaiting a decision on a planning application for new pitches and a club complex on the Killorglin Road.
