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Emergency sleeping shelter for homeless removed by council

A homeless pod to help rough sleepers that appeared in Belfast city centre, was removed by council officials citing health and safety concerns. Picture by Mal McCann 
A homeless pod to help rough sleepers that appeared in Belfast city centre, was removed by council officials citing health and safety concerns. Picture by Mal McCann  A homeless pod to help rough sleepers that appeared in Belfast city centre, was removed by council officials citing health and safety concerns. Picture by Mal McCann 

THE designers of an emergency sleeping shelter for the homeless in Belfast city centre have hit out at the council for removing the unit without informing them.

Made of marine plywood and with a plastic foam floor, the hi-pod (homeless intelligent pod) appeared in recent weeks on open space in Victoria Street.

Offering temporary shelter for those who sleep rough, the pod came equipped with a light, mobile phone charger and a radio.

The people behind the project, who do not want to be identified, had described it as "providing a bit of humanity to people who have to face the trauma of being homeless".

They said the shelter did not need planning permission as it was "portable". However, Belfast City Council removed the shelter yesterday, citing health and safety concerns and placed it into storage "until we can consult with its owners". But those behind the project said the council should have contacted them first.

"The fact that it has been removed has only been brought to our attention by The Irish News," one of the group said.

"We were not contacted at all by council about this being removed, or to even discuss it. We would have listened to them and considered removing it. We don't want a standoff.

"We are using peaceful means to make our point. There has been an overwhelming response of support about its presence. We have had

requests of interest from places as far away as Canada. It was doing no harm. It was there all over Christmas and there was no hassle.

"We now know how local councils react and we now have to work out how to best overcome and bridge the challenges presented."

However, Belfast Lord Mayor Nichola Mallon, who is to host a homelessness event at the city hall on Saturday, did not rule out a return for the shelter and said she was open to ideas such as the pod saying it "could be an innovative solution".

"I have sought and been given assurances from council officers that they will work with those behind the pod to find a way forward. I myself have made tackling homelessness one of my key priorities," the SDLP politician said.

Others took to social media to vent their anger at the council's decision to remove the pod.

Some Twitter users had novel suggestions on how to highlight the issue of the shelter.

"Put a flag on it, that might get some of the MLAs interested in it.

Interesting how a flags removal warrants chaos but how few are upset over a shelter for a human," said one.

Another Twitter user remarked: "Do estates get NIHE/council permission for memorials with flags/ murals?" asked another.