It comes as council officials question fairness and process of City Hall illuminations
Sinn Fein has made a request for Belfast City Hall to be lit for "Irish National Day" for July 11, as the City Solicitor aired "concerns about fairness” on the council’s illumination policy.
The Illuminate LED lighting system installed in 2013 on the north, east and west facades of the City Hall has been a success, allowing the Belfast Council to mark significant dates, occasions or achievements using bespoke lighting scenes. The council officer review report states: “There is an inexhaustible supply of deserving organizations and causes who seek to mark their own particular function, group or cause. The life expectancy of the luminaires system was 2023 so in due course the hardware will need to be replaced and upgraded if members seek to continue this service and feature of City Hall.”
“Officers are concerned that the increased number of approvals outside the criteria will lead to difficulties for the Council, from both an officer and Member perspective, where requests are refused. In addition, illumination requests are being presented for review by differing mediums and channels which limits the ability to review all requests against criteria in transparent and consistent procedure.
At the committee meeting, City Solicitor Nora Largey said: “In some ways it has become a victim of its own success, in that there are so many illuminates. There is obviously a cost to those, and the system wasn’t designed to deal with so many requests.”
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