Police estimate that “a couple of hundred” people gathered in Sandy Row on Tuesday evening, to again voice their objections to the demolition of the Boyne Bridge.
Work began around dismantling the historic bridge last month, as part of Translink’s redevelopment work linked to the new £340m Grand Central Station.
Tuesday’s ‘Save Sandy Row Rally’ was organised by locals who staged an earlier protest on October 11 against the bridge’s demolition and other issues facing the area.
The Ulster First Flute band played music at the King William mural opposite the bridge, while campaigner Billy Dickson stood on top of an open-top sightseeing tour bus to address the crowd.
He spoke about residents’ disappointment that the bridge was never listed for its historic significance, and the fact that recent roadworks around it have caused noise issues, keeping some locals up until 3am.
Another protest has been scheduled for Saturday, November 30, for the 12th anniversary of the Belfast city centre flag protests.
Mr Dickson said it would also be used to highlight the issues of Sandy Row, and the parade will begin from the Sandy Row Orange Hall.
Read more
Those gathered cheered as he shouted: “How about we send Lambeg drums up around their houses at five or six in the morning and see how they like it?”
“Unionist, Protestant communities are being hammered into the ground,” he said to the crowd as he further called people from “north, south, east and west” to “stand up” as there is “only so long you can stay on the ground”.
DUP councillor Tracy Kelly told this newspaper that “this rally is long overdue”.
However, she hoped that the Boyne Bridge issue doesn’t overshadow other concerns, including a lack of family-friendly housing, plans for more student flats, and the economic decline of Sandy Row, made worse by the traffic congestion caused by the ongoing roadworks as a result of the new station.
“I have seen rant after rant on Facebook. I’m glad people are actually pulling themselves together and saying enough is enough,” she continued.
“Over the last 10-15 years, as soon as the transport hub was mentioned, you saw Sandy Row changing.
“Private developers swept in and bought land that would have been a lot cheaper then, knowing that once a new transport hub was put in, the land around it would obviously be more expensive.
“To me, it’s constant battles in Sandy Row. There’s no good news coming in, it’s always fighting against student accommodation, fighting against private developers, fighting against more private apartments.
“In the last decade, there’s been a serious decline in shops being demolished and land being left vacant, waiting to be flipped.
“I do worry that with the bridge. That planning application went through in 2019. I worry that the rally is totally focused on the bridge, when there are so many other things around here that we need help with.”
Describing the Boyne Bridge’s cultural historic connections to the area, Mr Dickson told The Belfast Telegraph: “It’s not one of the eight wonders of the world, but it’s a Sandy Row icon.
“And Sandy Row without it is unthinkable.
“If the bridge goes, it’s still not the end of it for us… it’ll affect us mentally.”
He said that those who assembled at the rally “call upon Translink to stop all plans to demolish the bridge with immediate effect”.
Mr Dickson noted that locals also “refuse to consider the current planning proposals by the NI Housing Executive for mixed-use development on the Hope Street site… only a 100% social housing scheme, including bringing back lost streets, will be acceptable to the community”.
In a statement, a Translink spokesperson said the Durham Street area will close for up to 12 months as they “sensitively dismantle the existing 1936 Durham Street/Boyne Bridge to facilitate the safe completion of the first phase of streets works associated with the new station.
“Our contractor will seek to preserve key elements of the bridge, and we are continuing to engage with the local community on an arts and heritage programme which will utilise these materials for future projects.”