Planners consider if UDA terror tribute meets regulations

The freshly-painted mural honouring dead UDA man Stephen McKeag recently appeared in a neighbourhood between the Crumlin and Shankill Roads in Belfast.

It replaces a previous one which also honoured him.

However, this new mural has also been accompanied by the construction of a brick-and-concrete enclosure, akin to a memorial garden, which extends out from the house.

Stephen McKeag – nicknamed “Top Gun” – was a part of Johnny Adair’s “C Company” of the UDA in the lower Shankill.

Journalist Henry McDonald, the co-author of a history of the UDA, has cited police sources as attributing “at least 12” deaths to him.

Belfast City Council (which has responsibility for enforcing planning laws in the city) was asked whether the new tribute to McKeag in Hopewell Crescent could be subject to any enforcement action – not on the grounds of its sectarian content, but due to planning regulations.

It said in a statement that while no permission was sought for any of the work, the painting featuring McKeag is an example of “permitted development” which does not need planning consent.

However, it added: “With regard to the memorial enclosure, depending on its size and location, full planning permission may be required.

“Belfast Planning Enforcement Team will investigate to determine whether planning permission is required in this case.”

The tribute is based on property owned by the Housing Executive.

Asked about the matter earlier in the week, it had said: “In a post conflict society, issues, such as these, present a challenge for the whole of society.

“We will continue to discuss and engage with others and with local communities to find a resolution to such issues.”

In a fresh statement to the News Letter on Friday, it said: “The Housing Executive will consider the appropriateness of legal proceedings where possible.

“However, in all cases like this, we would always work with the local community to try and resolve any situation before pursuing legal recourse.”

Meanwhile, a statement from the PSNI about what action may be taken about the UDA mural, contained no indication that any action may be forthcoming.

It said: “Police are aware of a mural in the Hopewell Crescent area of Belfast. We are not aware of any complaints having been received by officers at this time.“

Among the killings Henry McDonald has said McKeag was party to was the 1993 shooting of Sean Hughes, a Catholic hairdresser, and a 1997 New Year’s Eve gun attack on the Clifton Tavern, Belfast.

According to the book ‘Lost Lives’, the fatal victim of this 1997 attack was a Catholic civil servant called Edmund Treanor, who died in hospital just five minutes before New Years’ Day was rung in.

The book also reports that five other people were injured in the same gun spree.

Henry McDonald has also described McKeag as being “addicted to cocaine”, and said he had been taking the drug around the time he was found dead at a house in Belfast in September 2000, aged 30.