“Let’s actually acknowledge that local residents at times feel unsafe”
Local elected representatives in Belfast have been sounding off frustrations with proposals for 24 hour opening in some of the city’s most popular parks.
At the September meeting of the full Belfast City Council, representatives from the SDLP and DUP aired concerns about plans for 24 hour opening in parks where there is no local demand, and a lack of details for those parks where there is demand.
In August, officials at Belfast City Council gave elected representatives consultation findings which show the public wants 24 hour opening in Botanic Park, Ormeau Park, and Belmont Park, but not in Falls Park and Woodvale Park.
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Council officers ran an open survey on the council’s Your Say platform from February to April this year and held five drop-in engagement sessions – one at each of the park sites throughout March and April. The aim of the consultation was to capture residents’ views on extending opening hours of the Botanic, Ormeau, Belmont, Falls and Woodvale Parks.
The survey was also an opportunity to gauge concerns and barriers to supporting the proposal, and to air suggestions for programming, activities and further physical improvements required to facilitate any extended hours of use.
At the committee meeting in August, Sinn Féin successfully proposed a 24 hour trial for the new Forth Meadow Greenway, which travels through North and West Belfast into the City Centre. The plan had to go to a vote, where the DUP opposed 24 hours opening across the whole stretch. The gates along the greenway currently follow a dawn to dusk schedule for opening.
The committee decided to defer any decision making on 24 hour opening in the five parks trials, for more information about costs for new lighting and animation.
As the committee minutes were agreed during the recent full council meeting, SDLP Councillor Gary McKeown told the chamber at City Hall: “I would like to welcome the findings of these surveys, they were a long time coming, and very helpful in informing the next steps.
“However, I am extremely frustrated, that after all this work having been done, there were no ideas coming out of them, in terms of firm proposals about how we are going to move forward. To me, it seems absolutely pointless to ask people for their opinion, and then shelve it, and let the tumbleweed flow.”
He added: “I think the content provided through the process isn’t very helpful in terms of the nuances around the various sites. To my mind, a one-size-fits-all approach probably isn’t appropriate.
“My focus in particular is on Ormeau Park. With the new bridge due to link the park to the Gasworks, and work to be completed by 2027, I have a real concern it will be essentially a bridge to nowhere, if we do not facilitate in some way footfall and cycling access through Ormeau Park. This is the time to be having this conversation and work that out.
“We need to be working for example with the Department for Infrastructure, which is overseeing the delivery of the bridge, to ensure they work with the council, and ideally provide funding and support to enable us to make Ormeau Park accessible as a through-route. For people who want to get to and from work for example, but also people who just want to exercise, and perhaps don’t get home from work until a later part of the day.”
He said: “There is no point in doing these consultations, building up expectations and hopes among communities, and then basically saying, thanks very much, we will see you later.”
The Lagan Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge is a new bridge planned to connect the Lagan Towpath at the Gasworks site to the Ormeau Embankment. Work on the 143 meter long bridge is to commence later this Autumn.
DUP Councillor Nicola Verner said at the meeting: “I am also frustrated, but not in the same way. My first point is to question the purpose of the consultation. My understanding is it was not conducted as a general opinion exercise on a universal extended opening hours model, but it was referring specifically to the parks named in the report.”
She said: “(The method of consultation) I presume was done in this way because there is an acknowledgement that each park is different, unique with its own circumstances, and each has residents who experience different issues.
“I don’t think it is right that we ask people their opinion, and when they respond with concerns affecting their ability to support extended opening, we ignore or disregard them. Let’s address those issues, let’s address the heightened antisocial behaviour in some of those parks, let’s address fear expressed by parents.
“Let’s address the lack of lighting or toilet provision, or vandalism. Let’s actually acknowledge that local residents at times feel unsafe, frustrated, and sometimes angry at having to live with constant antisocial behaviour.
“For me this exercise should be viewed as the start of a process. You have asked their views, so begin by addressing the issues. We need to build by assurance, confidence and trust, then re-engage, and ask if they would be content with extended opening hours.”
The five online surveys had a total of 1678 responses. Botanic Gardens received 652, Ormeau Park received 593, Woodvale Park received 308, Belmont Park 51 and Falls Park 47. The combined number of responses for Falls Park across two consultation exercises – the 24 hour opening survey and another for 24 hour opening of the Forth Meadow Greenway gate – was 203.
Consultation feedback confirmed community support for extended park opening hours at Botanic Gardens, with 70 percent of responses in favour, and 4 percent undecided. It also showed support at Ormeau Park, with 70 percent of responses in favour, 3 percent undecided. The consultation for Belmont Park also showed support, with 71 percent in favour and 6 percent undecided.
Across these sites, the most favoured opening hours pattern was overwhelmingly 24 hours opening, however there were a number of concerns raised in relation safety and antisocial behaviour, and the need for more security to facilitate extended use.
Although there was support for Fall Parks’ opening hours being extended, this was not in line with the views of the majority of overall respondents for both consultation exercises, including the more detailed Forthmeadow Greenway consultation. Overall, 58 percent of the 203 respondents for both consultation exercises were against changes to opening hours of specific gates and the park in general.
There was no clear support for extending the opening hours of Woodvale Park, 65 percent against, with the main reason being antisocial behaviour concerns.
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