DUP and Sinn Fein U-turn over support for festivals at popular Belfast park after backlash from locals
It concerns two events due to be held at Botanic Gardens this summer.
Last month Sinn Fein and the DUP pushed through a decision during a committee debate behind closed doors and away from the public and press. They agreed to two applications for hosting events in Botanic Gardens in June and July.
The Green Party, backed by the SDLP, unsuccessfully proposed declining the requests, with seven councillors backing them and 13 against.
The two festivals would have taken away use of the great lawn, where people gather in good weather, for 35 days during the summer.
The first request was submitted by CRD Live, seeking to host the 'Botanic Summer Sessions' which would have consisted of three music concerts on June 26, 27 and 28. The second request had been received from JKS for a 'Fire and Food BBQ Festival' from July 17 to 27.
However, at the full monthly meeting of Belfast City Council this week, both Sinn Fein and the DUP appeared to have changed their positions on the requests.
At the start of the meeting, the council agreed to receive a deputation from a representative for the Stranmillis Neighbourhood Association.
He told the chamber it was 'surprising and dismaying' that the applications had been approved.
Later, SDLP councillor Gary McKeown proposed not allowing the two requests to use Botanic Gardens this summer.
He said: 'No one has any objection in principle to Botanic Gardens being used for events, and for years many successful events have indeed been taking place there, from the Mela to family fun days and fairs. However, it is not primarily an events venue, nor is it a commercial facility.
'First and foremost it is a botanical garden, laid out and maintained for the people of Belfast, and it hosts many types of wildlife. This must remain its core purpose.
'These proposals, when taken together, would effectively close off the great lawn from public access for 35 days at the height of summer, denying people the ability to enjoy it at precisely the time when it is in greatest demand.
'This part of Botanic Gardens is an iconic location in the city that draws in hundreds of people daily across the summer, and often when good weather is reported in the media, it is the crowds enjoying the sun on the great lawn. It is not acceptable that people could be excluded from such a central location for such an extended period.
'These were opportunistic applications that were submitted after other events were cancelled, so there is no existing relationship between the promoters and the council, or this venue, that could establish any presumption that approval could be anticipated.'
Green councillor Áine Groogan seconded the proposal. She said in the chamber: 'Open green space is limited enough in our city. This is a lifeline to local families and local communities, and to close off such huge areas of the park for exclusive use is not a decision we should ever take lightly. It should never be a decision we are bounced into, which I feel is the case in this instance.'
'These types of events need particularly long run-ins, they need community conversations and consultation, they need to basically show they are able, and have the experience to carry out events of this nature without causing any negative impact.
'The reality is the length of time we have before us does not allow for that to happen properly. If these were coming in a year in advance, there would have been time maybe to get to grips with some of these issues.'
SInn Féin councillor Conor McKay said at the meeting: 'Reflecting on the correspondence we have had from constituents, and (the representative) speaking on behalf of Stranmillis Neighbourhood Association, we would like to say we will be voting for the (SDLP) proposal.'
DUP Councillor Tracy Kelly said at the meeting: 'We will be supporting the (SDLP) proposal. As a Botanic councillor, I often say if you look at our district electoral area from the sky, it is a concrete jungle, and there is very little green space. So to take away the field for that amount of time is unacceptable.
'I also think we need to remember that we have very few parks in and around Belfast that people have access to. A lot of the people I represent just have back yards, with little or no grass or green space near them.'
The proposal to reverse the committee decision was unanimously agreed by the chamber, without going to a vote.
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