DUP bid to have Belfast City Council reopen Boyne Bridge and help out threatened businesses on struggling Sandy Row
Belfast councillors are trying to talk city authorities into reopening the controversially closed Boyne Bridge.
A move spearheaded by two DUP politicians could also bring some hope to under pressure businesses on Sandy Row, whose custom has been decimated since the bridge was shut.
And they believe the threat is real and imminent, with one councillor stating: “I am bringing this to try and get some help to traders before there is no Sandy Row left.”
The bridge was closed last month to facilitate work connected to Belfast’s £340m new Grand Central Station.
Translink eventually plans to demolish the bridge, with the objections of hundreds of nearby residents who treasure its historical and cultural links falling on deaf ears.
The bridge is to be shut for around a year – and as it’s a main gateway to and from Sandy Row, that part of the city’s many businesses are struggling to attract a liveable level of trade.
Next month the DUP is to bring the issue to the floor of Belfast Council, hoping to get the bridge reopened and new strategies set up to boost trade in the area.
As one of the councillors behind the move, Tracy Kelly, told the News Letter, Sandy Row has been in decline for many years, and she fears the bridge closure could be the final nail in the coffin.
"Although they knew the bridge would close, traders were not prepared for the drastic drop in cars and footfall,” she said.
"Many people are now avoiding the area, and Translink have measures in place that seem to be directing traffic away from Sandy Row as if it would be too troublesome to drive that way. I’ve asked for that to be removed.
“I’m hoping the council can intervene and offer support to get businesses through this very difficult time. I have asked for a stakeholders group to be set up and professionals from our officer team to assist them with ideas and ways to ease pressure.”
Pointing out that the council has a “Vacant to Vibrant” scheme meant to reopen shops that have been closed for 12 months or more, she fears “every shop in Sandy Row will need to apply to that scheme” unless they’re helped through the next year.
“It seems very unfair to traders, who have had little or no communication from anyone regarding the build of the new station,” she said.
“We need support to ensure that Sandy Row is open for business, but traders cannot do that alone.
"If the bridge is going to sit idle [until demolition work starts], then it needs to be open to let traffic flow through this community.”
The bridge, believed to have been built over the Blackstaff River in the 17th century, is said to have been used by King William of Orange on his way to the Boyne, while King James II is thought to have retreated along the same route.
The modern Boyne Bridge was constructed in the 1930s.
A last-minute legal bid to halt the demolition plans failed in October, while the weeks since the closure have seen a massive protest at the site, with another planned for this weekend.