A new play park in West Belfast has sparked concern from those who are worried about its closeness to the Westlink.
The project, in the Divis area, was rolled out with an aim of putting a stop to anti-social behaviour and the derelict land is now a play park and sports zone.
Welcomed for this aspect, the new space has also been met with queries and worries about air pollution for those who will be using the area, mostly young people and children.
A stone throw away from the Westlink, separated by a wall which is 2.5 metres high, heavy traffic pollution has led to some comments of concern.
One read: "This park is a disgrace and will severely impact the kids who’ll play in it because of unacceptably high levels of air pollution."
On social media, another member of the public reacted by saying: "Toxic car fume park with that road beside it."
West Belfast Green Party representative Stephen Maginn told Belfast Live: "The New Park and Sports Zone at the Back Path in Divis has transformed an area that was once plagued by Anti-Social Behaviour.
"Some people have mentioned that they are rightly worried about the potential for park users to breath in dangerous particulate matter pollution coming from vehicles on the adjacent motorway.
"Unfortunately, if we only zoned areas with low levels of air pollution as parks or play areas, then we would have very little in this city.
"Belfast is plagued by air pollution and recent declassified documents suggest Stormont officials have been underplaying this since as far back as 1996."
Mr Maginn says the Green Party carried out a detailed assessment of air pollution in Belfast and North Down over 6 weeks in 2018.
"It showed that West Belfast had the worst air pollution in the city, with areas in the Grosvenor and Lower Falls breaching legal limits by over 50%," he added.
"Health officials now estimate it will cause 84,000 new cases of disease by 2035, costing the health system up to £635 million.
"Belfast City Council should look at mitigating pollution at this new Divis Park by increasing tree and shrub planting, and also looking into technological solutions of filtering particulate matter.
"Ultimately, the Executive needs to adequately fund Active Travel solutions including cycling and public transport infrastructure, so that people can make the switch from private vehicles, as well as introducing the long-awaited clean air strategy."
A spokesperson for Belfast City Council told Belfast Live that their officials monitor air quality at "a number of sites along the Westlink and M1".
They added: "This is a Department for Communities project as part of their Building Successful Communities programme, which aimed to deter anti-social behaviour by transforming a previously derelict piece of land into a play park and sports zone.
"Belfast City Council has taken on ownership of the site, so we’re asking the public to let us know their preference on a name. The wall is approximately 2 – 2.5 metres in height."
A DfC spokesperson said: “The Lower Falls Building Successful Communities Regeneration Forum identified the transformation of this strip of land at the Westlink back path into the Community Park and Sports Zone as a priority for the area.
“The forum comprises statutory organisations, local community and elected political representatives. The scheme was developed in consultation with the community, who significantly determined how the land has been repurposed.
"They favoured the project as it provided a positive outlet for the community while simultaneously reducing anti-social behaviour in the area. The park replaced the previous derelict path area and potentially inappropriate access to the wall area has been greatly reduced as a result.
"The Department for Communities delivered the project, in line with full planning permission, and transferred ownership to Belfast City Council at the end of June 2021."
