£22m for leisure facility at centre once described as 'isolating' towards protestants

Sinn Féin welcomed a decision at the council’s Strategic and Resources Committee on Friday to provide the sum for Girdwood Community Hub, between Antrim Road and Cliftonpark Avenue.

Sinn Féin Councillor Ryan Murphy said the money would transform Girdwood Community Hub into a “first-class” community and leisure facility.

The new Girdwood facility will include a 25-metre swimming pool, 3G pitch changing facilities, a fitness suite, an eight court sports hall and a “clip ‘n climb” facility. Construction is expected to be completed by August 2029.

The decision was made behind closed doors at City Hall on Friday in a restricted session away from the public and press. Sinn Féin are confident the decision will be formally ratified at the full monthly meeting of the council on Monday.

The hub, which was opened on the site of a former army base in 2016, has seen some controversy in recent years, with at least one local unionist representative questioning how welcoming the centre was for protestants.

In 2023 a dispute broke out at City Hall after DUP Councillor Fred Cobain said he had “difficulty calling it a shared space programme” after reports that local protestant football teams had been intimidated away from the centre.

He said at the time: “This is a fantastic facility for North Belfast, with huge potential, but I have to say, to call it a shared space programme – I find that quite difficult. A lot of protestant unionist groups in this area feel isolated when they go there. There is a lot of antisocial behaviour around groups coming to this (place).”

The council said in a report: “Girdwood community hub has the principles of shared space built into its core and, to enable the facility to benefit inter and intra community relations, the council set up a dedicated community hub forum whose role is to promote and help advise on enhancing the hub as a welcoming, open, shared, and safe space.”

It states: “Programme delivery from the local organisations has been shown to contribute to the reduction of antisocial behaviour at the site and has also delivered on other important outcomes linked to good relations and shared space.

"The summer programming has always contributed towards Girdwood being considered a safe and welcoming space for all and proves important during times of potential tension.”

Sinn Féin Councillor Ryan Murphy said after the council committee meeting on Friday: “This is incredible news for people right across north Belfast and represents another significant investment in our community.

“Sinn Féin has long campaigned to deliver first-class leisure facilities at Girdwood, and I’m delighted we are taking this final step towards delivery. We will continue working with other parties to drive the positive transformation of our city and deliver high-quality services for ratepayers.”

SDLP North Belfast Councillor Carl Whyte said: “This significant investment will transform Girdwood Community Hub into a modern facility that meets the needs of families living in the area.

"The addition of new changing facilities, a fitness suite and a sports hall is hugely welcome, but people will be particularly excited about the new 25-metre pool, the first new public swimming pool in Belfast in almost two decades.

“North Belfast has been crying out for this kind of facility, and it is only right that local families have access to the same high-quality amenities as those in other parts of the city. This long-awaited redevelopment will go some way towards addressing that imbalance.

“The SDLP was clear that this project had to be progressed by Belfast City Council given the Department for Communities’ continued failure to complete a business case to support the development. North Belfast should not suffer due to Executive department delays and I am pleased that council has now given the green light and that we can look forward to the redevelopment of Girdwood Community Hub getting under way.”