The owners of private properties in Derry where people “violently entered” to build a bonfire said they were unable to find a contractor to remove the material due to “health and safety concerns”.

Pallets are stacked in Meenan Square in the Bogside district for a planned bonfire to be lit tomorrow evening, August 15. In some nationalist areas of Northern Ireland, bonfires are a tradition on this day to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption.

Apex Housing Association, which owns the property, said it had explored all options for removing the materials from the site but no contractor had been willing to help “for health and safety reasons”.

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Read more: Appeal for “safety and respect” before the bonfires on August 15

A spokesperson for Apex Housing Association commented in a statement: “We have not authorised current activities on the Meenan Square site and re-secure boundary fences and gates after each violent break-in incident.”

“All options for removing the materials from the site were explored, however, due to health and safety reasons, no contractor was willing to assist.

“We recognise the stress and potential danger these activities pose to residents and visitors to the area. Working with the PSNI, we have liaised with local representatives and statutory bodies to mitigate the risks associated with a bonfire in Meenan Square.

“We remain committed to working with all relevant parties to find a solution that ensures the safety and wellbeing of the local community.”

Derry City and County Council stated that Meenan Square is not owned by the council and that it does not authorise or regulate bonfires, but said it would continue to work with statutory partners such as the Police, Fire and Emergency Services of Northern Ireland and community partners to minimise the impact on local communities.

A council spokesman said: “Advice on hazards, risks and safety precautions around campfires is being strongly communicated by all partners. The council continues to liaise with NIEA regarding the storage and disposal of tyres and other materials that may be placed on campfires.”

“At the Health and Communities Committee meeting in June, members approved the spending of £15,000 on targeted intervention activities within the Moor DEA in July and August. The funds are aimed at finding new and alternative positive activities that will benefit the local community.”

A PSNI spokesman said: “Police continue to work with partners including the local council, statutory partners and the local community to keep members of the public and residents safe and to ensure an appropriate and proportionate police response.”

In May this year, plans for the multi-million pound redevelopment of Meenan Square in the Bogside were submitted to Derry City Council and Strabane Council.

The redevelopment of Meenan Square – where several buildings, including the Bogside Inn, were demolished in 2021 to make way for an “urban village” project – had been delayed for some time until an agreement was finally reached with a landowner in the spring of last year.

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