https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/belfast-councillors-vote-to-remove-controversial-bonfire/a12704003.html

Andrew Madden
Today at 15:46

Belfast councillors have voted to remove a controversial bonfire in the south of the city close to hazardous asbestos.

The pyre in the Village area is also close to an electrical substation, with fears it could pose a risk to the power supply at City Hospital and the Royal Victoria Hospital.

A behind-closed-doors vote by the council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on removing the bonfire was held on Wednesday afternoon.

It is understood Sinn Fein, Alliance, SDLP and Green Party representatives were in favour of the move, with the DUP against.

Now the council will seek to appoint a contractor to remove the pyre. It is understood the PSNI will also have to take an operational assessment as to how likely a security situation would arise.

A council spokesperson said: “Members of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee decided to approve the use of a contractor to remove bonfire materials from the site at Broadway Industrial Estate.

“Elected members also decided that the council would write to the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to seek assurance that the NIEA will fulfil its obligations in relation to the site.”

On Tuesday evening, it emerged that correspondence regarding the bonfire had been exchanged between a legal firm and the PSNI, NI Environment Agency (NIEA), the Department for Infrastructure, the Department for Communities and Belfast City Council.

In a statement, Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) said it is “aware of the Donegall Road bonfire and have met with relevant stakeholders to express our concerns over the bonfire’s proximity to the substation causing potential risk to critical infrastructure and power outages”.

A spokesperson added: “Mitigations have been put in place, including turning off the transformers adjacent to the bonfire, building scaffolding with metal sheeting around the transformers and placing steel plates on open cable ducts to reduce the risk of fire and damage.

“Whilst these mitigations are in place, there will be a reduction in security of supply for the area.

“We would remind the public that flames near to power lines and electricity substations pose serious risk to everyone’s safety and wellbeing.”

A Belfast Health Trust spokesperson said it was “working to mitigate any impact on patient care or treatment, and has notified NIE of concerns around any potential outage.”

Stormont’s Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said earlier this week that the NIEA was in “ongoing contact” with Belfast City Council over the issues at the bonfire site, which is on private land.

"The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) is working with Belfast City Council to address the issues on the Broadway Industrial Estate, even though it is primarily the responsibility of the landowner,” said a spokesperson.

"Following an assessment of the site, NIEA has alongside Belfast City Council been carrying out additional mitigating measures over the past week including the further covering of the asbestos containing material, the use of fire-retardant material and the erection of additional fencing.

"Staff from the Environmental Crime Unit within NIEA remain in ongoing contact with the council and their enforcement investigation continues in relation to the site.”

West Belfast MLA Pat Sheehan said there was an onus on unionist politicians to show “leadership” over the issue.

"If it was in west Belfast we would be shouting from the rooftops and calling on every agency responsible for that to have it removed immediately,” he said.

"What is political unionism doing? Why is Emma Little-Pengelly not out calling for that bonfire to be demolished and dismantled? The responsibility rests with unionism and they must be on their holidays. They are hiding; we haven’t heard a word from them about this.

"This is clearly a health and safety issue. There is a danger to residents, to children, to patients and everyone in the surrounding area. So the responsibility rests with unionism to show some leadership, step up to the plate and have this bonfire dismantled as quickly as possible.”

by pickneyboy3000

24 comments

  1. Question: isn’t there a controversial bonfire every year that councillors vote to remove?

    Follow up: don’t they always get stood down by some sort of “try it and see” threat?

  2. You throw asbestos into the mix and there’s really only one logical choice at the end of the day; there’s surely somewhere within reasonable distance that’s not going to pose the same risk.

  5. Bumhole of the Bailey absolutely losing it on X over this cultural expression. 

    Hilarious, now blaming Seamas de Faoite for orchestrating it. That Nationalist BCC has no right on private land. Blah blah blah.

    His tears are delicious.

    However I suspect that bonfire will be lit shortly.

  7. right result on the vote, but good luck actually getting it done

  8. the bonfire will be lit per routine realistically. this whole song and dance will prove without doubt loyalist paramilitaries have control over the psni out of fear of them.

    sick of the “keeping the peace” excuse. fuck keeping the peace of it means these dickheads get away with fucking everything time and time again just because otherwise they’ll threaten to cause havoc.

  9. I can already see them screaming ‘ATS R CULTUR TO BURN ABSTESTOES AND HOSPITAL ELECTRIK BAXES’.

  10. I’d bet on them not being able to find a contractor to take it down and it’ll go ahead without any interruption.

  13. Good. It should never have been built there. It’s near asbestos for gods sake

  14. They’ll have to bring in English contractors/plain cloth British soldiers like they did with Cluan Place.

  17. This all just farcical at this stage and is a token gesture because its been raised in media how the council along with every other government department who had authority have done absolutely fuck all for months. They knew that shit was there before they started building and done nothing so.. who’s really to blame? Council and government let this ship sail right onto the rocks and seen it coming a mile off, they let this become the bonfires bad 2025 edition..

    As if anyone is going to do anything 2 nights before its going to be lit.

  19. just saying like.:..not suggesting anyone does this ,

    but i’m surprised we have not seen some of the wee nationalist youths rig up some of them wee kamikaze drones that the ukrainians are experts at building, wouldn’t need to explode or anything just a wee flying petrol bomb or something! hit the bonfires up high and get them burning ahead of schedule! i’ve seen flamethrower drones, only a few grand! bound to be a wee bit of that northern bank cash still knocking about somewhere! be a great investment!!

    https://preview.redd.it/7to6jlh9owbf1.jpeg?width=1014&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23e83658d49bd9cda9d3843d69da257eb57ca54e

    purely to piss up wee shithole bluebin bryson, i think his head would implode!

  21. This shit doesn’t happen in any other country in the world. Fucking reprobates the lot of them. How about just not letting them build bonfires near anywhere that could cause problems. It feels like they do shit like this almost on purpose to get a reaction then yap about it’s their culture. Fuck every last one of the bastards that support this.

  23. “why did they build a hostipal and leckery station near are boney?”

  24. That’s the first image I’ve seen to show how close it is to the sub station.

    Sweet suffering fuck. It would be hilarious if it was only themselves affected. As it stands, it’s just beyond stupid.

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