BELFAST will be celebrating all three days of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on the city’s ‘big screen’ thanks to a council rethink.
Last Saturday, the News Letter reported that — unlike 21 other major UK cities enjoying public screenings of concerts, pageants and parades to celebrate the monarch’s 60 years on the throne — Belfast City Hall would be showing coverage of one day only.
However, following an approach to the council’s chief executive, Belfast can now show the national service of thanksgiving from St Paul’s on June 4, and a parade through London on June 5, as well as the already agreed screening of the Thames Jubilee Pageant on Sunday, June 3.
The original decision was said to have been due to the necessary dismantling of the continental market taking place in the grounds of City Hall on June 4 and 5.
DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds had slammed that determination as “a golden, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity missed”, while former Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers said he would be raising the issue with council chiefs “as a matter of urgency”.
Defending its original decision, the city council said the “de-rigging” of the market must be completed by 10am on the Tuesday in preparation for the Olympic Torch event on June 6 — “therefore it was decided, in consultation with the BBC, not to show the Diamond Jubilee Concert and the thanksgiving service on Monday and Tuesday”.
The BBC has distanced itself from the row, saying the decision was made by the city council on health and safety grounds.
Speaking yesterday, Councillor Rodgers said a compromise solution had been reached that was the “best outcome” in the circumstances.
“What is happening now is that, because there are contractual arrangements with the market people, the screen will be on all three days, but only on one of the days will people be able to use the lawns of the city hall. People will still be able to see it from outside the railings on the Monday and Tuesday,” he said.
The UUP representative thanked council officers for making the new arrangements and added: “Everything will now be on but the only thing is that people can’t get access to the actual grounds on the Monday and Tuesday because of health and safety.”