A rally organised to oppose the demolition of Belfast’s Boyne Bridge has heard how residents in the Sandy Row area could face months of noise pollution if the plan goes ahead.
The gathering in the loyalist area of the south Belfast was held feet away from the bridge which is due to be demolished to make way for a new public square following the recent opening of Belfast Grand Central Station.
More than 100 people gathered at the area’s William of Orange mural on Tuesday evening following a call by organisers to show support for the campaign to save Boyne Bridge.
Located at Durham Street, the road closed in October for a 12-month period to allow the bridge to be removed.
Although the existing bridge dates from the 1930s when it replaced an older bridge from 1863, the structure is believed to contain the remains of the original 17th century Saltwater Bridge, said to have been crossed by King William III and his troops ahead of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
Campaigner and historian Billy Dickson, a member of Sandy Row’s Botanic Temperance Loyal Orange Lodge, has highlighted the bridge’s connections with the Orange Order as an historical site.
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Addressing the crowd from the top of a Belfast sightseeing bus, Mr Dickson said local residents would face months of noise disruption from the construction work.
“Maybe the Lambeg drums should go up to their houses,” he said of construction workers who will be involved in the demolition, to some cheers from onlookers.
“If the bridge is taken away, we’re in for a terrible time. We call upon Translink to stop all plans to demolish the bridge with immediate effect.”
Mr Dickson also called for Translink to reduce the number of Enterprise trains between Belfast and Dublin after an hourly service was recently introduced.
Members of a loyalist flute band paraded along Sandy Row ahead of the rally, prompting police to warn over a loudspeaker that it was an unlawful, unnotified procession, and those taking part were liable for arrest and prosecution.
The rally was also planned to highlight other issues facing the loyalist Sandy Row area, including a lack of social housing, and Mr Dickson called for “100% social housing” in a development in the nearby Hope Street area.
