Locals in part of North Belfast have claimed the area is "unloved" and being "left behind" by Belfast City Council.
In recent weeks, residents have been pointing out issues with weeds overgrowing and bins not being collected in the areas around the Cavehill Road and Antrim Road.
But for many, it has reignited a long-running debate around how the area in general is being looked after, with views that the area's Waterworks Park is being overlooked.
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Posting on Twitter, local businessman Kelvin Collins shared images of weeds overgrowing and brought these issues to the attention of the Council. He said: "Cavehill Road, Antrim Road, the Waterworks and North Belfast in general are an embarrassment to you. We all pay rates - why are we not getting the services we deserve?!"
Local businessperson and community activist, Paul Carlin, said it's part of a wider issue surrounding a lack of planning and development in North Belfast.
"The Waterworks in particular is completely overlooked," he told Belfast Live.
"To me, it's as if the Council aren't spending any money in this area. I run in all the parks in Belfast, and this is probably the worst looked after. I really wouldn't want to think it's a ' North Belfast being overlooked' thing, but it does feel like that.
"When you go to other areas you see things being done better, for example, Victoria Park is absolutely immaculate. The Waterworks is the home of the Parkrun in Ireland, this is where it all started.
"There's Parkrun tourism where people come from all over to go to different parks. Parkrun people are fanatics, so they would know this is the first Parkrun in Ireland, and I'm sure there are a lot of people that seek this place out for running for that reason. Then they come in and see the state of the place."
Sinn Fein Councillor for the Castle DEA, Conor Maskey, asked "why do I have to shout up and down for something to be done to improve this place?"
Often referred to as "North Belfast's back garden", Conor said during the pandemic in particular, a lot of local people began to spend more time in the Waterworks. He said more needs to be done to make it and the surrounding areas somewhere people want to come back to.
Last year, Cllr Maskey raised concerns around facilities at the park, particularly a lack of available public toilets.
He added: "Lockdown really shone a light on how important this park is. It was bunged every day, it helped with mental health, it helped people cope with their fears during that time.
"People got a new found love for the park during that time. But with that comes an expectation, quite rightly, of high standards being kept about how the place is looked after and you want to feel the place has good attention to it, to make sure it is the best it can be.
"That includes activities, events - being imaginative about what we can do in this space."
Paul added there is a strong community spirit in the area surrounding the park, with a lot of potential for future development and imaginative thinking.
He said the community need to group together to push for change, using the recently flourishing business community on the Cavehill Road as an example.
"This is a very special community. It's a community that needs a lot of help," he explained.
"We're sitting here with three of the most impoverished parts in Northern Ireland right on our doorstep, we're the third lowest in investment, we're the third lowest in entrepreneurship. We need hope.
"A lot of the issues in my lifetime that we've come through have been built out of hopelessness. The fundamental thing of walking out of your door and the place being nice is going to give you more hope for the future. That's what we've proved on the Cavehill Road, that you can push and have a better environment.
"If we could get some money to do some more programming within this park and get something going regularly, there's definitely the community groups who could get involved.
"Next year we're looking at setting up a supporters hub in the Waterworks for the Belfast Marathon as it passes through the park. After the last marathon, I had people saying the park is absolutely beautiful.
"Through events like that, you're getting people here who maybe wouldn't have been by the park before, so we have to have it looking right. It's a beautiful place, particularly the top pond. I'm up there at least five times a week and you never cease to look at the beauty of that place right on our doorstep."
Paul said it's increasingly frustrating, both as a business owner and resident in the area, to see it remain seemingly overlooked.
He said: "The business community isn't paying any less in rates, in fact my rates have gone up 50%. We're doing our part, and I'm not seeing we're getting anything back.
"The point has to be you need to be doing the right thing for the community and all those different parts is what makes the community a stronger place for all. The North Belfast community is a very important community and it's being overlooked and I'm finding that more frustrating as the days go on."
A spokesperson for Belfast City Council said: “Waterworks is one of 20 Green Flag parks in Belfast, independently assessed as having a high standard of cleanliness, biodiversity, safety and horticulture.
"Our team provide a daily service in the park, which includes emptying bins, checking playground equipment, power washing walkways, patrols by park wardens and maintenance work.
“At the council’s People and Communities Committee on 9 August, elected members agreed that a report on capital investment in parks and open spaces be brought forward for consideration. This will include options on how any potential projects and schemes could be funded and prioritised.
“Contracts for parks catering services are awarded in line with our agreed procurement process and kept under regular review for all sites, including Waterworks. A cleansing task force has also been set up to review cleansing provision in local neighbourhoods, including arterial routes like Antrim and Cavehill Roads, as well as the city centre.”
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