Sinn Féin: teddy bears' picnic rules 'must apply to bonfires'
- Published
Similar rules that apply to staging a teddy bears' picnic on Belfast City Council property should apply to bonfire builders, Sinn Féin has said.
Councillor Ciaran Beattie told the council's monthly meeting that a detailed application process should be required for bonfires.
The DUP said the proposal was "unrealistic" and could increase community tensions.
Mr Beattie said the council needed to "get a grip" on bonfire issues.
The Sinn Féin councillor told Wednesday's meeting that if anybody wants to have a teddy bears' picnic in a council park they had to go through a process.
"They have to fill in an application, they have to apply to council, they have to make sure they have risk-assessments in place, have public liability (insurance) in place, they have to go through a whole process similar to what we're proposing (for bonfires).
"For someone to come along and put a monstrosity of a bonfire in a park which causes all the dangers around that, and the toxic fumes it gives off, and the disruption for the residents around it, and for this council just to basically have no process whatsoever is absolutely crazy."
Mr Beattie, the leader of the Sinn Féin group on the council, said new legislation was not needed to adopt a new approach to bonfires.
He said existing legislation could be used, including laws around illegal dumping and criminal damage.
Ciaran Beattie said the council needed to "get a grip" of bonfire issues
He said: "The position of self-regulation hasn't worked. We need a whole new approach to bonfires, to illegal fires," he said.
There was no debate on the matter at the meeting, as the issue was referred to a council committee to discuss the issue later this month.
The DUP have already made clear their opposition to Sinn Féin's proposals.
A spokesperson for the DUP group on Belfast City Council said: "There has been considerable progress over recent years in supporting and encouraging the self-regulation of July bonfires, based on local community engagement.
"The DUP supports that process of community engagement, self-regulation and the encouragement of good practice. We believe that that is the correct approach and should continue at statutory and community level.
"We recognise that there is risk associated with fire and we do not support bonfires which would pose risk to life or property due to their size and location. However, there also needs to be tolerance and respect for the tradition of July bonfires."
The issue is expected to be debated in full at a meeting of the council's Strategic Policy and Resources Committee later this month.
- Published12 July 2019
