BELFAST City Council has agreed on measures to improve security at a South Belfast sports facility which is used by a GAA club and has been targeted three times since May.

There had been three security incidents at Henry Jones Playing Fields in recent months, including two suspect devices and an incident of criminal damage to goalposts and netting.

East Belfast GAA is the only GAA club in East Belfast and currently has around 600 members from all community backgrounds. The club do not currently have a home but use Henry Jones Playing Field to train.

As a result of those incidents, the PSNI’s Crime Prevention Team had been engaged to assess the site and the current range of preventative and protective measures in place.

The PSNI had recommended an upgrade to the current CCTV system at a cost of £12,000 and the installation of lighting in the car park at a cost of £25,000. Both measures were agreed at Belfast City Council's Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

In addition, the PSNI had commented on the large number of potential access points along the site perimeter which was currently unfenced. However, at a cost of £120,000, councillors agreed to defer consideration of the installation of perimeter fencing to enable further discussions to be held with the key user groups.

At Wednesday evening's full Council meeting, councillors welcomed the CCTV upgrade and car-park lighting measures to improve security at the facility.

Alliance councillor Michael Long welcomed cross-community support for the security measures and reiterated his support for East Belfast GAA Club.

DUP councillor Davy Douglas said the security alerts affected many people in the area and questioned whether fencing would have a huge impact given the size of Henry Jones Playing Fields.

Séamus de Faoite (SDLP) said it was "regrettable" to be spending any money on securing a council facility when the money could be spent on other things.

"The actions of a tiny small-minded group of people are punishing a group of people who just want to play their sport," he said.

DUP councillor Andrew McCormick said his party would be proposing a review of all council-owned facilities in the city for potential security upgrades.