Belfast City Council approves Boucher Road playing fields change
Belfast City Council has approved plans to return Boucher Road playing fields for sports use.At a special meeting on Friday night, councillors agreed a measure to end concerts at the 40,000 capacity space after 2027 and use it for sports pitches. It is now intended to use the space for two full-size GAA pitches and one intermediate soccer pitch. The decision had been deferred earlier in the week, with some councillors objecting to moving forward without a replacement venue for concerts in mind.Sinn Féin had also described the objection to using the space for GAA pitches as “discrimination.”Commenting after Friday night’s vote, Sinn Féin councillor Natasha Brennan said: “It is fantastic that Boucher Road has been given the green light to transform into a first-class sporting hub in 2028, with bookable facilities including two GAA pitches and one intermediate soccer pitch.“This will be particularly welcomed by Gaels in the city who have had to contend with underinvestment and a lack of provision for decades.“There will also be sufficient time to find an alternative venue to continue hosting large-scale events in the city, safeguarding the social, economic and cultural benefits they bring.“I look forward to continuing to work with parties on the council to invest in all sports and to ensure the voices of residents are heard.”Speaking to the Irish News, Alliance councillor Michael Long said: “Our view is that we’re disappointed a decision was taken on the basis of the information we required not being available.“It’s disappointing we’ve gone ahead without being able to identify an alternative venue in the city.“Also, Belfast is now likely to lose out on lots of big-name concerts and the economy will suffer as well.“All we really wanted was a process that was going to involve using evidence to move forward.”
