£500k Lisburn lights show - councillors now say there must be a full risk assessment before it can reopen to the public

The popular visitor attraction was suspended on December 5 due to a ‘significant’ increase in numbers viewing the display.

And calls have now been made for the festival to be reviewed over fears it could spark another surge in Covid-19 if allowed to re-open to the public.

The light show is part of the annual Lisburn Light Festival, which runs between November and January.

The festival includes a 100ft “light tunnel” and an animated light show.

The festival will cost the council £535,000, according to minutes from a council development committee meeting in October.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Council said a decision was taken to halt the animation show for health and safety concerns. The light tunnel was turned off.

Councillors now say that the current suspension needs to go further, calling for a full risk assessment to be carried out before it potentially goes ahead again in any capacity.

Green Party Councillor Simon Lee said Saturday’s crowds were “predictable” and now says that he “strongly objects” to any plans for the event moving forward.

“I not only argued that the cost of this festival could not be justified during Covid, but that attracting crowds into the city centre posed unacceptable safety risks,” Councillor Lee said.

“[It] was inconsistent with the health guidelines to restrict public gathering to reduce the spread of Covid.

“In these incredibly challenging times tough decisions need to be made for the sake of the safety of the public.

“To push ahead with this was irresponsible, and has been proven to be a massive mistake.

“I hope going forward the DUP and UUP, who pushed this through, will reflect on this, and make sure that public safety is always the number one priority of all that the council does as we continue to navigate this horrific pandemic.”

The PSNI said officers responded to reports on December 5 about the numbers in attendance in the city centre and “liaised with Council on the matter”.

However, when the PSNI were asked if an investigation into the decision making process to the festival was made, a spokesperson said no further comment would be made.

Alliance Alderman Amanda Grehan said clarity was now needed from council officers to carry out a “sufficient” assessment before any resolution was final.

She added: “I will be sending off an email to the Chief Executive and the Director of the council to ask for a review in order to achieve a plan for a way forward.

“I don’t think that we could make a decision over the festival’s cancellation just yet. We need to reflect on what has gone wrong, what could we do better and is there a way we could continue the festival in some fashion this Christmas.

“It’s ok for people to say that it should be shut down but we need to sit down as a council and reflect.

“This is down to the DUP and UUP for letting it go forward in its previous format. I put forward an amendment to stop the light tunnel and animations and to have the lights in the city centre.

“Other parties supported that amendment except the DUP and UUP. If they would have supported that then last Saturday would not have happened.

“My fear now is that we need to shut down a light tunnel that we’ve paid an considerable amount of money for. We didn’t need to spend this type of money during a global pandemic.

“This could have been organised on a smaller scale and been a success and that’s what needs to be discussed now going forward.”

However, the DUP refuted those claims, saying the Alliance party supported the festival “in its entirety”.

Councillor Scott Carson said the public also had to take “responsibility” for attending the event.

“It’s simply not true that the Alliance Party did not support the Lisburn Light Festival.

“They did explain concerns as did other members in relation to the restrictions and the gathering in the past week, however, that has been taken on board by council officers.

“It hasn’t been shut down as some claimed. I was down today and the lights are very much on.

“We want to ensure that we are complying with what authorities are saying. There was engagement with senior police and others and at such times they feel it’s safe for the animation part of the light show to continue then that should proceed again.

“It should be said that many people that have attended the show have said while there are many gathered that people have maintained their bubble. I have to be stressed that there is a responsibility for individuals here too.

“If I was going with my family, and I haven’t been so far, but if I felt uncomfortable, I’d turn around and leave. So there is a degree of the individuals here as there is with all parts of these regulations.”

The UUP has been contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.

Meanwhile, the Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council ‘no decision had yet been made in relation to reactivating the animations’.

A spokesperson said council officers continued to review the situation “very carefully”.

They added: “Risk assessments will continue to be updated as necessary in line with the Council’s health and safety policies.

“The Council routinely works in partnership with the PSNI on relevant matters.

“We will continue to liaise with the PSNI in relation to the light animations in Lisburn as appropriate.”