Campaigners and local residents groups have labelled a proposal by Belfast City Council to open the gates of Northern Ireland's only botanical gardens 24 hours a day as reckless.
Botanic Gardens in south Belfast will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2028 and is home to a number of historically important buildings as well as a wide range of trees and plant collections.
Its huge glass Palm House, designed by renowned English architect Charles Lanyon, is one of Belfast's greatest existing Victorian structures.
Built in the 1840s, it was one of the first of its kind anywhere in the world and is older than those in the National Botanic Garden in Glasnevin and Kew Gardens in London.
The 28-acre gardens in south Belfast also have a Tropical Ravine House dating back to 1889, and a rose garden dating back to the 1930s.
The Ulster museum, listed as a building of historical and architectural important, is also located in the gardens.
Botanic currently opens from dawn to dusk, in line with most other botanical gardens across the world.
But that could be about to change.
Belfast City Council is considering a proposal to open the gardens 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Councillors who support the move say it is necessary to make the gardens more accessible amd to promote greater use.
Opponents say it would be madness.
They cite concerns about potential damage to the historical buildings, disruption to wildlife and to plants as lighting would be required for night time opening.
"The council has degraded this garden to a thoroughfare," says Adrian Walsh, chair of Friends of Botanic Gardens, a registered charity established to promote the gardens.
"Botanical gardens across the world operate from dawn to dusk, they are not like normal parks because they contain many plants that can be damaged if daylight is extended unnaturally.
"There are also magnificent buildings within it, heritage buildings that deserve respect and protection.
"This proposal, it's not acceptable in a botanic garden and that it's even being considered for a botanic garden we think is reckless and shameful."
Residents groups opposed to any change in opening hours point out that in a consultation by the council only 36% of respondents said they favoured 24/7 opening.
"That's not a majority, it's a minority of those who responded," says Jonathan Harris, chair of the Stranmillis Neighbourhood Association.
His association supports extending opening hours during the winter months, with closing time moved from 4.30pm to 6.30pm.
But it also draws a line at 24/7.
"The 4.30pm closing time during the winter months really inhibits active travel, for people who walk, who roll (roller blade), parents with push chairs, people who use wheelchairs," Mr Harris adds.
"So, we have asked for them to be able to use the gardens up to 6.30pm during those winter months to accommodate that kind of end of work, end of school, end of university community time.
"We do not want to see 24 hour opening. We don't think that's appropriate. We don't want to encourage potential anti-social behaviour and any kind of activities that might degrade or damage the historic buildings and the beautiful botanical gardens."
Opponents of the proposal cite the experience of the Covid pandemic when 24/7 opening resulted in a surge in anti-social behaviour and additional work for the park wardens.
"They had to lift up lots of needles from drug use and human faeces and other things," explains Bronagh Hinds.
A founding member of the Women's Coalition, she was presented with the UK Woman of Europe Award in 1999 for her work during negotiations on the Good Friday Agreement and is now chair of the Rugby Road Residents' Association.
"We have members whose gardens back on to the park and they have particular concerns. We sometimes find needles and stuff in our gardens as it is and we would be very worried that extended opening would result in a repeat of what happened during the pandemic."
She is opposed to any extension to opening hours and says Belfast City Council must realise that botanical gardens require different management than normal public parks.
"If we start opening beyond dusk, it would simply be the slippery slope to more extended opening hours.
"These are not just the only botanical gardens in Belfast, they are the only ones in Northern Ireland. They are exceptional and the council needs to realise that and understand the value of that.
Critics of the proposal also say they believe that unrestricted opening hours could deter private funders from backing any future efforts to refurbish the Palm House or other listed builtdings within the garden.
