A PEACE wall gate dividing a north Belfast park has been reopened for the first time in more than eight weeks.
The gate which divides Alexandra Park had been padlocked shut since mid-March during the coronavirus pandemic, despite all other gates remaining open.
Belfast City Council had said reduced staffing levels during the health crisis meant the gate could not be opened.
However, The Irish News asked the council why it remained closed despite having enough staff to cut the grass on both sides of the wall in recent days.
[ READ MORE: Belfast peace line exhibits world's border walls amid 'looming' BrexitOpens in new window ]
A council spokeswoman on Friday said it hoped to reopen the gate "within the coming days, and are making the necessary resources available".
The gate was reopened the following day.
The interface wall has divided Alexandra Park since 1994, but improved community relations led to a gate being installed in 2011.
Before the Covid-19 outbreak, council workers usually opened the large gate each day.
Gates along the perimeter of the park which are usually shut at night have been left open 24/7 during the pandemic.
Northern Ireland still has dozens of so-called 'peace walls' as a legacy of the Troubles, erected at interfaces between mainly unionist and mainly nationalist areas to prevent sectarian violence.
