Fears over towering Eleventh night bonfires potentially causing serious damage to property are something of a familiar theme during the annual marching season.
In recent years we have seen the enormous pyre at Chobham Street in east Belfast causing profound alarm with residents being forced to leave their homes.
Last July equipment from a nearby playground was moved to facilitate the bonfire while the fire service had to allocate stretched resources to stop the flames igniting houses.
A huge pyre at the entrance to Belfast City Hospital has also caused difficulties in the past with a 40ft burning tower toppling onto the road in 2009.
However, the most serious incident of last year's Twelfth took place in another part of the city, in the lower Shankill in west Belfast.
A row of terraced houses was badly damaged when embers from the bonfire set the roofs alight.
A number of residents had to be rescued from their homes and it is only by good fortune that no one was killed or injured during what was a frightening ordeal.
The bill for repairing the Northern Ireland Housing Executive properties came to £90,000 and now the NIHE is spending £40,000 on a community garden in Hopewell Square, where the bonfire was sited.
Landscaping has begun on the garden, which will include fresh plants and seating areas and there is no doubt it will enhance this part of the Shankill and provide a pleasant amenity for families living nearby.
What is encouraging is that people who are directly affected by the annual bonfire have worked with local representatives to come up with a better use for this piece of land.
However, it is a matter of concern that despite this considerable investment of public money, there is no guarantee that a bonfire will not be built on the site this summer.
The garden is a facility for the local community and it would be appalling if it ended up being destroyed by those who have no regard for the wishes of residents.
We need to move away from the high-rise infernos that cause disruption and damage, put emergency services under pressure and leave residents fearful of the consequences for their homes.
The plan to create a community garden on the lower Shankill is a positive step, improving the environment, easing the concerns of local people and providing a space that can be enjoyed all year round.
Let us hope it can be maintained through this year's Twelfth.
