Belfast streets could close to traffic for children’s play if council plan goes ahead

The Playful Belfast City Streets scheme has been endorsed by elected representatives at Belfast City Council, and a motion has been passed at City Hall for the local authority to work out ways with partners to clear certain streets of traffic for community play days.

The council is also hoping to create a system whereby city residents can apply themselves to nominate a “playful” street.

At the recent meeting of the council’s People and Communities Committee, the motion by Alliance Councillor Ross McMullan received unanimous support in the chamber.

The motion states: “Following other cities, including London and Dublin, this council will work with relevant stakeholders to facilitate how residents can organise Playful Streets in Belfast.

“Playful Streets are a low cost and easy way to turn residential streets into play spaces, allowing children and communities to come together and play through limiting or closing access to vehicles for a few hours.

“We will invite Playful Cities Ireland to present to council members at a future committee meeting and for council officers to engage with the pilots currently being carried out by Fingal County Council this summer.

“This council will then seek to pilot the same in Belfast in 2024 across the four quarters of the city and the city centre with a view to introduce a council-led system through which residents can apply to make their street a Playful Street.”

Councillor McMullan said at the committee meeting: “Street closures are something the PSNI can facilitate for resident events. I know there have been a couple of those in Ormiston in Belmont Park and the Norwood Association had one recently.

“But this is all about looking at whether there can be a council system facilitating these events in a very low-key and easy manner. It is about getting kids and communities out onto the streets.”

SDLP Councillor Séamas de Faoite said: “Fingal County Council have been very innovative in terms of things they have piloted in that part of Dublin, with the School Streets, the Playful Streets, and some other projects.

“They have demonstrated what it looks like when a local authority has responsibilities for active travel measures, something which should be an example for Belfast.”

He proposed successfully that the School Streets scheme, which aims to close down streets around schools at opening and closing times, to be included in the terms of the Playful Streets motion.

Christina Black, Sinn Féin Councillor for the Court district electoral area in West Belfast said: “It is great to see motions such as this coming forward, especially if it was for a part of the city that I represent, which is an urban, inner city location. There they are really suffering at the moment because they are not able to use the local streets.

“Just today the area has seen a family fun day limited by appalling commuter parking, where they couldn’t use some of our streets and one of the only local open fields.”

She succesfully requested the council invite Forward South Partnership, a South Belfast regeneration charity to discuss residential parking schemes, and how they can facilitate the free streets projects.

Last November community groups held the Open Botanic Festival from noon to 3pm on Botanic Avenue. The road was closed to cars for the duration of the event, which included health and community stalls, music, workshops and food.