Improved playing facilities at pitches used by East Belfast GAA have been approved by councillors on the same day a second security alert in 24 hours was found to be a hoax.
The second security alert within a day in the Church Road area of the east of the city ended on Wednesday morning after a public safety operation was carried out when a suspicious object was found at around 1pm on Wednesday.
It was the ninth security alert in the area since the formation of the new GAA club in 2020 in addition to other reports of criminal damage which the PSNI have treated as hate crimes.
While the second alert was ongoing on Wednesday evening, at the monthly meeting of the Belfast City Council Planning Committee, elected members approved major works at the council owned land.
Councillors approved two ball-stop fences of 35 metre width by 16 metre height, a 1.2 metre height perimeter fencing with two new gate access points, two dugouts at 10 metres width by four metres depth, a new hardstanding path and associated site works.
There were no objections from statutory consultees on the council’s planning application. Council officers recommended the application for approval.
The council received one objection from a non statutory source. The objector raised concerns about littering, the impact on trees, parking and traffic movements, and the potential for antisocial behaviour.
Increased safety measures at the Henry Jones site are due to be implemented later this month in response to the series of security incidents, including the installation of CCTV and car park lighting.
More than 500 children were unable to attend a nearby school and nursery in the latest pair of alerts to hit the area this week, while East Belfast GAA has met with Justice Minister Naomi Long and senior PSNI officers in order to prevent the repeated targeting of the club.