A NORTH Belfast councillor has called on Belfast City Council to make permanent a local pop-up park.
The Cathedral Gardens play park was unveiled last August as a family-friendly zone to help revitalise the city centre.
It was created as a temporary "meanwhile-use" for the space and was planned to remain in place for at least two years.
Designed with input from local toddlers, the park features imagination-friendly equipment like a giant spinning hamster wheel, “bendy” benches, outdoor musical instruments, a swinging bridge and colourful mushrooms on a carpet of rainbow-coloured sod called Unicorn Grass.
The playpark has proven a popular spot with children and families during the Covid-19 pandemic and Alliance councillor Nuala McAllister is calling for the pop-up play park to remain in place.
Ms McAllister said the park has been a welcome outdoor family space for her two boys, aged two and four, during the pandemic.
"It's amazing – my kids love it. There are local coffee shops nearby. We can go and grab a coffee and let the kids run about," she said.
They buoys were originally presented to Belfast City Council by the Commissioners of Irish Lights in 1983 and and were located in the Cathedral Gardens, which became affectionately known as ‘Buoy Park’. https://t.co/69QbFc1UUv
— infomatique (@infomatique) November 16, 2020
“After the Primark fire, there were plans to re-imagine the city centre.
“My argument was that you are not going to get more people into the city centre unless it is something like a park, which you don’t have to pay for.
“It has popped up as a temporary park. I want it to be made permanent.”
A proposal to retain the facility is expected to be tabled at the council's Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.
