Sinn Féin say “decision has been made” despite no contribution from local community
The community garden at the Lower Botanic Field
Frustrated residents living around the site of a controversial plan for a new GAA pitch in South Belfast have said there has been no local consultation whatsoever, as Sinn Féin say the decision has already been made.
Local opposition is mounting against a plan in the Botanic area which would get rid of community gardens, a wildflower meadow, and Queens University environmental research plots for an astroturf GAA pitch.
Locals who use the Lower Botanic field in Stranmillis were perplexed and outraged when earlier this month Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey posted on Instagram what she described as “confirmation (of) the delivery of new GAA pitch” in reference to a decision made at a Belfast City Council committee meeting.
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Residents from the area complained the announcement came out of the blue, with no trailing or local consultation, and the whole question of the Botanic field’s use appears shrouded in secrecy in council meetings and minutes of committees.
The announcement by Sinn Féin ultimately proved to be premature, after the full council agreed to shelve the plans for further discussion, but locals who use the field have expressed alarm and uncertainty about the future of the space.
But during a meeting of the council’s important Strategic Policy and Resources Committee last Friday (February 20), Sinn Féin Councillor Ciaran Beattie again declared the decision for a pitch had already been made. There has been no local consultation for a permanent pitch.
On an item referring to a six month extension of a contract for the Friends of the Field community group, Councillor Beattie said: “For clarity’s sake, the decision has been made, in terms of the pitches. There is going to be a pitch going into Botanic. This agreement is just to obviously facilitate the current on the site, which was never agreed to in the full term anyway.”
Belfast City Council have been contacted to confirm whether a decision has been made on the future of the site, away from the public and press, but have not responded.
A week ago, at another City Hall committee meeting, a council official said that hundreds of thousands of pounds that have been put into the field via the EU Upsurge environmental project would never have been funded if the project had been anything other than permanent.
On Saturday (February 21), representatives from three parties, Sinn Féin, Alliance, and the SDLP, as well as council officials and journalists from the BBC, descended upon the field and held uneasy exchanges with some members of the Friends of the Field community group.
Members and locals have described their further confusion as representatives from Sinn Féin and the SDLP have promised the field could accommodate both the community gardens and a pitch, while council officers at the same time are suggesting local residents start proposing new sites for the community gardens. They described the local politicians’ proposition that both the gardens and pitch exist side by side is “disingenuous,” and have warned that relationships formed in the space will be destroyed if the community gardens are ended.
Meanwhile the local Stranmillis Neighbourhood Association is stressing a lack of transparency and accountability in the process, and has sent a letter to all the area’s local politicians.
The Association’s secretary, Jonathan Harris, writes: “I am writing to raise concerns about the sudden announcement of plans for the conversion of Lower Botanic Gardens to sports pitches by Belfast City Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on February 6, and subsequent deliberations in the council.
“Our primary concern is that this decision appears to be made without the opportunity for public consultation. The proposed changes to the use of the site will likely have a great impact on the Stranmillis neighbourhood, and many of our members are anxious to know more about the proposed development.
“Specifically, the proposed pitch is located on the site of “Upsurge,” an EU Horizon-funded (valued at €660,375 for Belfast City Council), five-city research initiative examining how nature-based solutions can help cities adapt to rapid climate change. We understand that the site also received an investment of £240,367 for the installation of a new path and community garden via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
“Over the past four years, these investments have transformed this formerly underused land into a valued and freely-accessible community resource. The project’s initial phase (2021–2026), followed by monitoring to 2030, was intended to generate knowledge and demonstrate good practice critical to sustainable urban living in Belfast and beyond.
“Our association stands ready to assist with community consultation regarding this and any future plans for the Lower Botanic Gardens.”
At a special meeting of the full Belfast City Council at City Hall on Friday February 13, a plan for two new GAA pitches and a soccer pitch at Boucher Road Playing Fields was approved, meaning Belfast will most likely lose its largest current outdoor venue in a matter of years.
It was supported by Sinn Féin, the SDLP, the Green Party and People Before Profit, with the DUP, Alliance, the UUP and TUV in opposition. The recorded vote showed 32 elected members in favour, to 24 in opposition.
At the meeting Sinn Féin Councillor Ciaran Beattie appeared to champion the opinions of locals living close to the Boucher Road park. He said: “If you see the commentary from residents (close to Boucher Road Playing Fields), they feel like prisoners in their own homes. Anyone who speaks to residents that live around there, they don’t like it.”
He added: “There is a massive problem that this site causes, and the communities around it feel it. So it is not only about addressing the sporting issues, it is about addressing the community issues, the people who are feeling the negative effect of this.
“It is okay to live five or ten miles away from this and think it is a great idea, but go and speak to the residents. Go and knock on a couple of doors and you will see what their opinions are.”
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