Councillors clash with Stormont officials over pavement cafes

A Belfast councillor has spoken of her “disappointment” at Stormont’s insistence that Fountain Street and Castle Street should be cleared of pavement cafes and reopened to traffic.

A number of members of Belfast City Council clashed with officials from the Department for Infrastructure during the recent meeting of the City Hall Licensing Committee.

The department is asking the council to revoke temporary pavement cafe licences for two Fountain Street businesses — the Voodoo pub and alternative music venue, and City Picnic restaurant.

Voodoo has a pavement cafe on Fountain Street, while City Picnic has one on Castle Street.

Green Party Councillor Áine Groogan said: “I think how the department has treated them is completely unreasonable, and I’m glad that Belfast City Council’s Licensing Committee has deferred this issue to allow the businesses more time to get an agreed solution.

“I also think it is imperative for the department to actually furnish us with some evidence or rationale for their position, and maybe, just maybe consider that there may be an alternative to reopening a street to full traffic for the sake of a handful of loading vehicles each day.”

An official from the department told the committee: “There is a significant probability of a serious accident occurring and as the authority we cannot accept that risk.”

He added: “What is happening is that service vehicles are having to reverse on Fountain Street through a pedestrianised area, and they are having to reverse also up Castle Street towards the junction at Queen Street.”

Sinn Féin, the Green Party and People Before Profit voiced support for the pavement cafes remaining where they are, while the DUP said it was “concerned” at the safety risks, and asked for more opinion from neighbouring businesses.

The committee deferred the decisions until December’s meeting.