Community group rep tells City Hall that there is “confusion and distress among volunteers and local residents”
The wildflower meadow at the Lower Botanic Field
A petition to stop Botanic Gardens meadow and community garden being dug up for a GAA pitch has received 350 signatures in two days, as locals continue to criticise what they consider to be underhand decision making by Belfast Council.
The campaign to stop the Botanic Field being dug up and fenced off from local residents and the wider public reached a new stage this week, as a new petition and leafleting campaign was launched in the area, as local community groups went to City Hall to air their concerns.
Local opposition is mounting against a council decision, made in highly unusual circumstances, which would get rid of community gardens, a wildflower meadow, and Queens University environmental research plots for a fenced-off GAA pitch, potentially for an astroturf or 3G pitch. Locals believe an open space of rich biodiversity, cherished by locals and open around the clock, will be dug up and closed off to the wider public for exclusive use for sports groups based over a mile away.
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Locals also complain the council decision came out of the blue, with no trailing or local consultation, and the whole question of the Botanic Fields use appears shrouded in secrecy in council meetings and minutes of committees.
While Sinn Féin and the SDLP say there is room for both a pitch and the community gardens in the meadow, some locals have described the offer as “disingenuous,” because at the same time council officials have asked the Friends of the Field community group if it would consider relocating. No site plans or illustrations have been provided to the community group to prove how the meadow could house the community garden as well as a new GAA pitch.
GAA pitches are significantly larger than soccer pitches, and regularly have double the surface area. Calculations made by some locals indicate that there would not be room for a standard GAA pitch and the community garden.
Belfast Council erected GAA goalposts and sanded some holes in the field for temporary use just before the coronavirus>Covid pandemic, and these were taken down after a few months. No consultation has been made with the local community on the field’s use as a permanent GAA pitch.
The decision for the pitch was made on February 13th at a special meeting of the full Belfast Council, during an exchange between the Sinn Féin Party Group Leader Ciaran Beattie and the DUP Party Group Leader Sarah Bunting about the general council pitches strategy. No mention was made about the Botanic field in the exchange, or during the whole meeting.
The move appears to have blindsided the rest of the chamber, and caused confusion to onlookers who were unsure what had actually happened in terms of decision making. At least one official has described the decision making as “unusual.”
The “Save Botanic Meadow” petition on Change.org and leaflet campaign was started on Sunday March 1. The petition amassed 350 signatures in its first two days.
The campaign organisers say the meadow is “a cherished place of beauty, respite and relaxation.” They add: “Each day hundreds of us enjoy it as an unspoilt green space to walk, cycle, meet friends and exercise. Belfast City Council has approved plans to develop Botanic Meadow into a permanent sports pitch.
“The decision was taken without public consultation and conducted under a sub-committee’s “restricted business,” that is, avoiding transparency or accountability. This petition is to call on the council to reverse this decision as a matter of urgency.
“The development would destroy the natural habitat of countless species of grasses, wildflowers, insects, birds and wild animals, including protected species. The associated light pollution would threaten nocturnal wildlife, including bats. And replacing the newly-restored ponds and grasslands with fenced pitches and spectator areas would increase flooding risk, including further down the River Lagan.”
They add: “The riches of Botanic Meadow are not just for the local community. Since 2022, it has been part of an international project (“Upsurge”) on nature-based urban solutions to managing rapid climate change. This has funded community and research gardens on the site in order to inform sustainable urban planning for the benefit not just of Belfast but cities around the world.”
At the full Belfast Council meeting on Monday, local community groups were in the chamber as representatives from Friends of the Field and the Stranmillis Neighbourhood Association were allowed time for deputations.
Alicia Mulholland from Friends of the Field told the chamber: “We are a vibrant cross-community group committed to caring for our shared green space, supporting biodiversity, promoting health and wellbeing, and strengthening community connections in our area. For us, and for many, the open and accessible field at Lower Botanic Gardens is like having a small piece of the countryside in the lively heart of South Belfast, with room to roam and play and connect with nature.
“It provides peaceful respite from the surrounding hustle and bustle, and even opportunity to stargaze on a clear night. Consequently, from 2020, Friends of the Field have set out to protect and enhance the area for all who benefit from it.
“This has been achieved to date through the development of a wildflower meadow, biodiversity recording, a wetlands restoration project, litter picking, habitat monitoring, and of course the community garden.”
She added: “We are here today because our experience thus far has highlighted serious issues with communication and engagement. First, there has been a lack of coherent and targeted stakeholder engagement. We have learned about key developments through social media and the press, rather than through direct communication as a clearly identifiable community stakeholder.
“Announcements about site selection appeared publicly, without prior participation with our group, despite the direct implication for our space and our work.”
She added: “Speaking as a neighbour of Botanic Gardens, and as a member of both friends of the Field and Stranmillis Neighbourhood Association, I can tell you that nobody knocked our door prior to decisions being made about the Botanic site.”
She said: “We were told by elected representatives that the community garden would not be affected by pitch development, yet subsequently, a Belfast City Council agent asked whether we would consider relocation. Such conflicting narratives have caused confusion and distress among volunteers and local residents.”
A proposal by Alliance Councillor Tara Brooks, to defer the council decision specifically on the Botanic site for further information, was deemed “incompetent” by Chief Executive John Walsh at the meeting, after Sinn Féin raised a standing order.
Councillor Brooks said: “I can’t see how it is possible to have both functions on the site, and we can’t jazz-hands our way out of this by making vague promises to everyone who has worked on or used the wildflower meadow, the research garden or the Friends of the Fields gardens.
“We owe residents more than wishful thinking. If both can genuinely exist on the site, let’s see the plan. If they can’t, let’s say so, plainly. Until then, we just should pause, consult properly and treat this project with the time and consideration it deserves.”
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