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Nature must be 'priority' in park opening hours changes

Jake Liggett & Jessica Lawrence
BBC News NI
BBC A still image of the Palm House in Botanic Gardens. It is a large glass building with a large dome in the middle. There are intricate white window panels breaking up the large glass windows. There are a number of people exiting the building and walking near a large circle flowerbed which is planted just outside. There are a variety of flowers, including purple tulips, and white, pink and blue flowers.BBC
A consultation on extending opening hours in five of Belfast's parks closes later

A nature charity has said "protection must be a priority" if a consultation by the Belfast City Council leads to park opening hours being extended.

The consultation, which ends on Wednesday, focuses on five of the city's parks, namely, Ormeau Park, Woodvale Park, Falls Park, Botanic Gardens and Belmont Park.

Currently, these parks operate under the council's standard "dawn to dusk" opening hours, extending to 22:00 BST in the summer.

A council spokesperson said they where inviting "feedback on a variety of options around extended opening hours".

Belfast based nature charity Wild Belfast has said "protection must be a priority" if a consultation by the council leads to park opening hours being extended.

'Nature in crisis'

Conor McKinney, chair of Wild Belfast, said "in principal" they supported the councils decision to consult the public on the issue.

"The public cannot be expected to protect nature if they do not have access to nature."

He added that "nature is in crisis" with Northern Ireland "ranked 12th worst out of 240 countries for biodiversity loss".

A black gate with a gold spiked top has a white piece of paper tied to it indicating park closing times. Behind the gate is a pink and cream coffee van. Behind the open gate is also a set of closed gates.
Botanic Gardens is one of the five parks on the consultation

Wild Belfast's main concern is with the lighting which would be needed to accommodate extra opening hours

"It is vital that any lighting introduced alongside 24-hour opening does not disturb species," Mr McKinney said.

The charity have already observed the impact light disturbance can have on Belfast species.

Mr McKinney highlighted how new lighting introduced in 2020 on the Albert Bridge in Belfast had affected the starling population.

He added that the council should look at evidence from other parts of the UK and beyond who have introduced similar opening hours.

'We're meant to protect this area'

Adam Bayhan has short, white hair and a white and grey beard. He is standing in front of a large tree with bright green leaves. Adam is smiling at the camera and is wearing a red t-shirt, a black zip up hoodie and a green coat over the top.
Adam Bayhan is not in favour of the park's hours being extended

Botanic Gardens is one of the parks which is being discussed as part of the consultation.

Adam Bayhan lives close by and has witnessed some disruptive behaviour in the past.

"We love this park and it's a beautiful place to hang out... some people could do something that could damage this natural beauty. I do not wish to see that," he said.

"We're meant to protect this area, for us, for the animals and nature."

Sean Murray is standing in the middle of the park walkway in Botanic. Some trees and shrubbery in the background are blurred. Sean is wearing a dark coloured baseball hat with white letters embroidered on it. He is also wearing a navy hoodie with some white writing cropped out at the bottom.
Sean Murray has some concerns about those using the park late at night

Anti-social behaviour is also a concern for Sean Murray.

"I think it encourages more people to be out on the streets late at night if the parks are open later, which I don't think is a great idea to be honest with you," he said.

Sean said the area would be hard to police, given the park's many entrances and shrubbery.

'I would feel vulnerable'

Susan Maxwell is standing on a walkway in the middle of Botanic Gardens, and the background behind her is blurred. She has white hair and is wearing glasses with dark lenses. She also has on a light blue scarf, a darker blue fluffy jumper and a dark blue puffed coat. She is smiling at the camera.
The current opening hours at Botanic Gardens work, says Susan Maxwell

Susan Maxwell, who walks in Botanic Gardens often, said the current arrangements suit her fine.

"I wouldn't walk through a park at night because I would just feel very vulnerable, so I would only walk in the park during the day," she said.

She added while the later hours might be more appealing to younger people, she would worry about them getting home late at night.

Eimear Murphy and Nancy Lynn are sitting on a black, iron park bench in Botanic Gardens. Eimear is sitting on the left and has long, dark brown hair with sunglasses pushed out of her face. She is wearing a green, knitted jumper and is smiling at the camera. Beside her, Nancy is wearing a dark-washed denim jacket with two badges pinned to her front pocket. She is wearing a dark red shirt underneath. Nancy also has long brown hair and is smiling at the camera.
Eimear and Nancy had concerns around safety if parks are open later

Eimear Murphy and Nancy Lynn live in student areas near Botanic Gardens.

Nancy admitted it could be beneficial to keep the parks open later in spring but the current summer curfew of 22:00 works.

"I think 24/7 could end up being a bit dangerous," she added.

"If it was opening late there would definitely need to be patrols on and street lights and stuff like that."

Safety is also Eimear's biggest concern, pointing to the case of Sarah Everard - a 33-year-old woman who was abducted, raped and murdered by a London police officer as she walked home in 2021.

"I think if you were to extend it, there would need to be rangers or people working here because the council do drive around every so often but if it was open late I wouldn't feel safe walking by myself," she said.

In 2022, a woman was seriously sexually assaulted in Botanic Gardens late at night.

Aidan McGourty is smiling while looking at the camera. He has white hair, with his dark-framed glasses pushed up. He is sitting on a park bench and the background behind him is blurred. Aidan is wearing a dark-coloured t-shirt and a black leather jacket with a brown corduroy collar.
Aidan McGourty thinks things should stay as they are

Aidan McGourty is similarly worried about the safety of those using the park at night.

"You wouldn't want parks open at night because kids will start drinking at night so I think it should be whenever there's daylight," he said.

"No matter how you do it, you would have people collecting and having parties, drinking and making a mess."

Work to be done to ensure safety

Alliance's Botanic Councillor Emmet McDonough-Brown said he was "delighted" the consultation was under way.

He said he thinks extra open hours will "enable more people to use the parks and their facilities", while "extending" the city's connectivity.

However, he did add that work would need to be done to ensure safety.

An old, grey stone sign saying 'Royal Botanic Gardens' on a red brick wall. Underneath is a small dirt flowerbed, with some vegetation growing out at the top.
The council say they want to strike a balance in the community

A council spokesperson said recent investment into improving lighting along the main pathways in some parks had created the opportunity to trial longer opening times.

They said they want to ensure the needs of the community are balanced with "considerations around viability, safety and environmental impact".

Findings of the consultation will be presented to councillors alongside recommendations.

If approved and funding is secured the council will run a pilot scheme, during which the new arrangements will be monitored.

A follow-up consultation will then assess the impact before any final decisions are made.