Northern Ireland

Landscaping at east Belfast UVF-linked bonfire site cost £190,000

Landscaping works at Bloomfield Walkway in east Belfast, where a July bonfire is annually built, cost £190,000
Landscaping works at Bloomfield Walkway in east Belfast, where a July bonfire is annually built, cost £190,000 Landscaping works at Bloomfield Walkway in east Belfast, where a July bonfire is annually built, cost £190,000

LANDSCAPING works at an east Belfast walkway where a notorious loyalist bonfire is annually built cost the public £190,000.

Bloomfield Walkway has reopened after being closed for almost five months for "environmental improvements", including flat grassland being changed to low hummocks.

It has previously been the site of a July bonfire linked to the UVF which has caused controversy over successive years.

Unionist councillors say it would be "inappropriate" for the pyre to return following the works, and encouraged bonfire builders to discuss seeking an alternative site.

Last year, masked contractors were sent to remove the pyre from Bloomfield Walkway after a judge ordered a Stormont department to take action.

The High Court heard the towering pyre was under the control of "sinister forces" within the east Belfast UVF and posed a serious threat to nearby homes.

The bonfire was also among four included in a landmark court injunction secured by Belfast City Council in 2017 following safety concerns over their size.

In 2015, dozens of families had to flee their homes when the pyre was built along the walkway next to Chobham Street.

The following year a newly built play park was moved to facilitate the bonfire – at a cost of £6,000.

No pyre was built this summer while the walkway remained closed off since early April.

The improvement works included new benches, better lighting and resurfacing to benefit cyclists and pedestrians.

The land is owned by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) and the work was carried out by the council.

It has since been confirmed that DfI funded the works at a cost of £190,000.

UUP councillor Jim Rodgers described the landscaping and improvements as a "magnificent job" and "good value for money".

He insisted the works were "nothing to do with preventing a bonfire". Mr Rodgers said they were planned for some time, and suggested the new hummocks were partly to discourage "people on mopeds and motorbikes".

However, he said the walkway should "definitely not" be the site of a bonfire in future years.

"After spending that amount of money the last thing we need is a bonfire to damage any land or property," he said.

"I'm not against bonfires, I would support them, but they have got to be put at a safe location at all times.

"I would call on those responsible for the bonfire to work with public representatives to get a suitable site."

PUP councillor John Kyle has also welcomed the improvements and said it would be "inappropriate to build a bonfire in that area in future".

"People can speculate on the timing and purpose or whatever, but the bottom line is I think we have got improvement to the area that enhances the area and is much appreciated by local residents," he said.

The section of Bloomfield Walkway between the Beersbridge Road and Upper Newtownards Road reopened at the end of August.

A DfI spokeswoman said: "The Department for Infrastructure provided funding of £190,000 for the scheme. DfI provided all the funding for the work on Bloomfield Walkway.

"The aim of the project was to create a welcoming, safe and attractive linear park for the local community to enjoy and to improve accessibility for cyclists and walkers."

A Belfast City Council spokeswoman said: "The project is part of wider improvement plans for the east of the city which aim to regenerate key stretches of the Greenway down to Titanic railway halt to improve open spaces and the travel infrastructure."