Bonfire response politically weak says SDLP leader

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Claire Hanna says there has been a very weak response "politically and from agencies" to a contentious bonfire in south Belfast.

There are concerns the power supply has been put at risk at Belfast City Hospital and the Royal Victoria Hospital because the bonfire lies near a major electricity substation between the Donegall Road and the Westlink.

Separate concerns centre on the presence of asbestos at the site.

The bonfire is due to be lit on Friday as part of the Eleventh night celebrations.

Hanna, who is the MP for the area, told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster programme that it was a "political failure" that the situation had got to the stage where legal action is being considered.

"I think people are dodging the obvious public safety answer for reasons that they should account for, but yes it is a political failure.

"And we have these political failures, because a lot of issues we go 'gosh that is very complicated, let's not deal with it, or let's maybe leave it to a resident to take a legal action because we don't want to do politically difficult things'.

"It is beyond me why the minister didn't remove or order the removal of this material a couple of months ago."

Bonfires are lit annually in some unionist areas across Northern Ireland to usher in the Twelfth of July, the main date in the parading season.

Belfast Health Trust said the substation near the bonfire supplied both hospitals.

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency said it was first alerted to the issues around the bonfire on 16 May and had been engaging with the landowner, the city council regularly since then.

"An inspection of the site was carried out, an enforcement investigation was initiated and the agency engaged the landowner to ascertain how the asbestos material could be removed from the site and, if that could not be done by July 11, on the mitigating measures that needed to be put in place," it said.

"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."

Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) said it had expressed concerns over the bonfire's "proximity to the substation causing potential risk to critical infrastructure and power outages".

The trust said it had contingency measures including back-up generators and it was confident there was no need to cancel any planned treatments or procedures.

Asked about the bonfire on BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme, the grand secretary of the Orange Order, Rev Mervyn Gibson, said: "I'd support what needs to be done for health and safety for everybody.

"It depends on what health and safety says.

"I'd rather that there wasn't a controversy over this at the last minute."

On Tuesday, NIE said it had put mitigations 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.

However, it warned there would 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," NIE added.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt visited the bonfire site on Tuesday.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said in a statement it had put in place mitigations "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".

It added the department was in ongoing contact with Belfast City Council.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said it was working with "partner agencies, community representatives and landowners to address community safety issues relating to bonfires".

It said due to the "potential that judicial proceedings may be initiated" it would not comment on specific bonfires.

The landowners, Boron Developments, bought the site in the summer of 2017 and were made aware of asbestos at that time.

Boron Developments told the BBC's Talkback programme it had engaged with a waste management company to remove the asbestos but the company needed "no personnel" on the site in order to complete the removal of asbestos.

Due to people "bringing in materials and building the bonfire" the company told the landowners it could not complete its work.

Belfast City Council said while the lands at the site remained "the responsibility of the landowner" the council and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) were "working together in relation to this site".

The council said after the landowner appointed a contractor that carried out work to "contain and secure the asbestos" the NIEA assessed the site and had "recommended that further mitigating measures should be put in place".

The council added that the council and NIEA had agreed those measures and the NIEA investigation continues.

Members of the council's Strategic Policy and Resources Committee met on Thursday to discuss the site.

"Following discussion, elected members agreed to accept the extra mitigations proposed by NIEA, together with the additional precautionary measures outlined," the council said.

The committee also considered a proposal from the SDLP to employ licensed contractors to remove the asbestos.

The council heard that would cost a six-figure sum and the motion was voted down.