Heritage group seeking meeting with government ministers in effort to save Boyne Bridge
A heritage group is seeking a meeting with two government ministers over saving the Boyne Bridge in Belfast.
The Ulster Architectural Heritage Society is seeking a meeting with the transport minster John O’Dowd (Sinn Fein) and communities minister Gordon Lyons (DUP) at the site.
It follows on from a failed attempt last Friday to get an injunction to stop the work to dismantle the bridge as part of the development of the new Grand Central Station.
The Boyne Bridge was built in 1936 but is believed to contain remnants of much older bridges within it.
UAHS vice-chairman John Anderson told the News Letter that the court case on Friday is not the end.
Instead the hearing established that though the bridge is now shut, actual demolition work is not imminent.
"We didn’t come out of the court on Friday in any way discouraged,” he said.
"It’s counter-intuitive. It was a loss but actually we’re quite happy because we’ve got the breathing space that we can now do what we need to do in relation to getting it established that the bridge is not only worth retaining from an architectural / archaeological / industrial heritage place, but also from the actual working of the station and promoting Belfast as a city that respects its heritage.”
The News Letter visited the area on Friday to ask about the planned removal of the bridge.
Paul McCann (known locally as 'Bobby'), who runs a shop on Sandy Row, said: "It's just the history of it, the making of it from 1642. From The Great Bridge, to the Saltwater Bridge, to the Boyne Bridge as it is now.
"The old remains of the 1640 bridge is underneath there with the old wooden pipes that actually fed the water to build Belfast with.
"They're a historical part of Sandy Row and people want them to stay. It says anything built before 1700 should be restored and listed in a way.
"They're actually flattening the bridge and taking everything away. It just means so much to Sandy Row. All the historical things that's happened through all the years, it's just sad you're taking it away."
Asked if everyone in the area feels the same, he said: "Yes."