VEHICLE passes for residents in Stockmans Lane will be issued ahead of concerts this weekend after residents were unable to park outside their homes last weekend.

Residents were left unable to access their homes during road closures as Belfast Vital concerts took place on Friday and Saturday night, with headline performances from Liam Gallagher and Noah Kahan.

To facilitate the concerts, police closed a number of roads between 9pm and midnight, including Boucher Road between Tates Avenue and the junction with Stockmans Lane, Stockmans Lane between Kennedy Way and Lisburn Road, slip roads onto the M1 at Kennedy Way and Stockmans Lane and Kennedy Way city-bound from the Andersonstown Road junction towards the M1.

Tony McKeown, who lives in a cul-de-sac of around a dozen houses facing Musgrave Park, was unable to get home on Friday night.

"On Friday night, I was coming home from work. I came off the motorway at Kennedy Way to come down Stockmans Lane," explained Tony. "The whole area was cordoned off and I couldn’t get access to my house. I couldn’t understand it because the concert will still going on.

"I ended up doing a de-tour and ended up on the Lisburn Road. Eventually after much deliberation with police, I was allowed access to get home. The place was full of parked cars and I was lucky to get a parking space.

"The following night there was another concert on. I was getting ready to head out to see a few mates. I was waiting on a taxi coming to pick me up. The concert seemed to finish a bit earlier.

"I phoned the depot a couple of times and they told me it was stuck on Kennedy Way and couldn’t get down to me. The traffic was moving again on Boucher and Stockmans Lane but not on Kennedy Way. It didn’t make any sense to me."

Tony has called on the PSNI, concert promoters and other statutory bodies to work closer together with residents.

This weekend, the Emerge Festival will take place on Saturday and Sunday and Tony is hoping there is no repeat of last weekend.

"I have been part of the residents’ meetings about these concerts and have suggested a pass for residents to get into their homes. It has never been brought forward," he added. "I have no issues with these concerts but at the same time, local residents should be able to get in and out of their homes.

"It is terrible to finish a day’s work and you are not able to get into your own home. It is really unfair. There is no joint-up approach between everyone involved in the concerts including the PSNI, security staff and concert promoters.

"I am dreading this weekend. You simply can’t make plans to go out."

However, there is now light at the end of the tunnel for residents. Sinn Féin Balmoral councillor Natasha Brennan revealed Stockmans Lane residents will be issued with vehicle passes ahead of this weekend's concerts.

"I have been contacted by residents around concerns about cars being unable to access their homes during the concerts," she said. "I have been working with event organisers and I am pleased to say that ‘vehicles passes’ will be issued to residents in Stockmans Lane who are affected by the road closures.

"This is something I will be requesting for all concerts in this venue going forward to ensure residents are not affected and can still gain access to their homes.

"I hope everyone going to Emerge this weekend has a great time and please remember to respect local residents when heading to the venue and leaving."