Belfast City Council has deferred a highly anticipated decision to end concerts at Boucher Road Playing fields for use as sports pitches.
The move had been agreed by the council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee last week, but objections were raised at Monday night’s full council meeting.
If approved, concerts would cease after 2027 with the grounds to be used for two full-size GAA pitches and an intermediate soccer pitch.
In recent years, the 40,000 capacity space has hosted major festivals including Vital and Emerge, attracting international acts including Bruce Springsteen and Ed Sheeran.
Green Party councillor Áine Groogan called for the decision to be deferred, claiming the council had “put the cart before the horse” by not having a replacement site in mind to host outdoor concerts.
Her motion was supported by 30 votes to 28 votes against.
While supporting the motion to return Boucher for use as playing fields, the DUP’s Sarah Bunting complained that Sinn Féin had prematurely tried to suggest that Casement Park could become a replacement venue for outdoor concerts.
She called for a “slight pause” in the process, stating her party fully supported returning the use of the grounds for sporting purposes but would not rush the decision “to suit a Sinn Féin press cycle.”
Bruce Springsteen in concert at the Boucher Road playing fields. PICTURE: MAL MCCANN
Sinn Féin’s Ciaran Beattie later commented: “There’s one word to describe this and it’s discrimination, and it’s because of what it is.
“We’re talking about 26 sites across Belfast and the only two sites that people have issues with are GAA pitches.”
Alliance councillor Micky Murray called the committee’s decision “extremely short-sighted,” and said that while he was not opposed to returning Boucher for sport use he said to do so without a replacement plan was premature.
He also questioned why male-dominated field sports should be priortised above other forms of expression like music.
The TUV’s Ron McDowell also raised concerns the decision to end concerts at Boucher would cost the city £10m per event weekend while objecting to the GAA’s “insulting” practice of naming grounds after republican paramilitary figures.
Ed Sheeran has written a new song for That Christmas starring Brian Cox as Santa (Liam McBurney/PA)