Nationalist parties say the decision is “discrimination” and “anti- GAA.”

Plans to end concerts at Boucher Road Playing Fields for two new GAA pitches and a soccer pitch have been shelved.

Now discussions on the future of the park will return to the Belfast City Council table after a significant backlash by promoters, the music community and local politicians.

Last Friday the majority of elected representatives at a Belfast City Committee meeting decided to return the Boucher Road Playing Fields to their “original purpose” as a dedicated sports facility, meaning large-scale music concerts and festivals at the site would end in a few years time.

However, at the February meeting of the full Belfast Council on Monday, February 9, on a tight vote the chamber passed a joint DUP and Alliance proposal, and then a Green Party proposal. Both proposed defer a decision on Boucher Road Playing Fields, pending further discussions, which might include looking at the possibility of dual-use at the park to keep big music gigs there.

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Sinn Féin said the decision was “discrimination,” while the SDLP said it was “anti- GAA.”

The council stated after the meeting: “At the full meeting of council on Monday February 9, elected members agreed to refer any decision regarding the council’s pitches programme back to its Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for further discussion.

“This includes a decision on the future use of Boucher Road Playing Fields, with agreement by elected members to bring back a specific report on this particular location.”

On Friday a decision was made behind closed doors at City Hall on Friday, in a restricted session away from the public and press, to provide two full-size GAA pitches and one intermediate soccer pitch at the Playing Fields, as part of the council’s Pitch Strategy. The decision sailed through with votes from Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the DUP, but with opposition from Alliance.

The balance of power changed on Monday after the DUP changed their position on the proposal, and a joint Alliance/DUP proposal got through, backed by 30 votes in favour to 28 votes against. A Green Party proposal to defer all decisions back to committee passed on a similar score, and technically is the chosen amendment.

If Friday’s decision had been ratified at the full council, Belfast would have lost a major outdoor concert venue with a capacity of 40,000. Known for hosting massive concerts and festivals like Belfast Vital, the Fields have hosted A listers such as Bruce Springsteen, Ed Sheeran, Liam Gallagher, The Killers, Sam Fender, and Eminem.

This has not come without controversy, and locals have been airing their grievances for years about the disruption created by the big live events. The Fields have hosted large gigs since 2010, and while a huge source of income to the city economy, are an ongoing source of upset to neighbours.

Every summer South Belfast councillors warn of disruption and logistical challenges for residents during the summer season of big concerts. In 2024 the council set up a “Social Value Fund” to be allocated to those local communities beside Boucher Road Playing Fields who felt adverse effects from large concerts.

In June 2022 Boucher Fields were confirmed to remain a venue for music gigs and other events, when its entertainment licence was renewed, despite complaints and objections from local residents. Two months later Belfast council announced extra residential security to protect residents around the Playing Fields gigs after people were left “traumatised” in their homes after an Ed Sheeran concert.

After the announcements on Friday by Sinn Féin that the GAA pitches and a soccer pitch were approved, and gigs would end at Boucher, critics argued that closing the venue without an alternative site lined up would “kill” the city’s large-scale music scene. They added the lack of a transition plan would leave a significant gap in the city’s cultural and arts infrastructure.

The Alliance/DUP proposal states the council “agrees to defer any final decision regarding the future of the Boucher Road site,” and requests a report including an assessment of how the site can be “reconfigured to support enhanced sports provision alongside a major events venue with a capacity of up to 40,000.”

The proposal asks for an evaluation of “potential alternative sites across the city suitable for development as a major events space” as well as “a comprehensive analysis of the economic impact of Boucher Road operating as an events venue, including benefits to local businesses, tourism, and employment.”

The proposal also urges the council to work with promoters and partners such as Eventsec, MCD, and Shine, to “look at options of creating a hybrid site which provides sporting facilities and large scale events with a capacity of 40,000.”

DUP Councillor Sarah Bunting said at the meeting: “It does feel some of these decisions have been pushed through in a whirlwind of activity, and it might be time just to take a slight pause, even though the usual slow process of getting things through this council can be extremely frustrating at times.

“We fully support the return of Boucher Playing Fields to pitches, that 100 percent remains our objective, we have worked persistently to move this forward and our position hasn’t changed.”

She added: “What I cannot support is the political theatre, which we witnessed on Friday with both the Pitches Strategy and leisure transformation. Before these issues even reached full council, before ratification and before final scrutiny in this chamber, Sinn Féin’s well-oiled publicity machine was already in motion.

“Press releases were issued, credits were named and narratives were written, but importantly process was ignored. And then predictably came the photo opportunities.”

She added: “Over the past few days we have engaged directly with promoters. They have indicated a willingness to work constructively with the council, and crucially to potentially cover the costs of additional works required to ensure this site can function both as pitches and as an events space.”

Green Party Councillor Áine Groogan said: “We have really put the cart before the horse here. The Pitches Strategy has not been agreed, it is due to come back next month, and I don’t understand why we are agreeing outcomes of a strategy that is not itself agreed.

“Decision in terms of priorities for funding and phasing should all flow from the strategy.”

Alliance Councillor Micky Murray said: “No one is arguing Boucher Road should remain an events space forever. I am not opposed to turning it to playing fields in the long term, to close it without first securing a replacement is simply poor planning.

“We all know that music tourism is a major economic driver that contributes over £135 million to the local economy. What we get at Boucher is over £10 million to the local economy, £2.5 million in hotel stays and £1 million in other hospitality.”

Sinn Féin Councillor Ciaran Beattie said: “There is one way to describe this, and it is discrimination. It is because of what it is. We are talking about 26 sites across Belfast, and the only two sites that people have issues with are GAA pitches.

“If you look at the usage across the city, in terms of the deficit, there are 45,158 hours of a deficit for GAA in the city. That is nearly double what it is for soccer.”

He said the hybrid approach “just wouldn’t work” at Boucher, and said Sinn Féin would be demanding an equality impact assessment on any decision to block the Boucher pitches plan.

SDLP Councillor Carl Whyte said a deferral was “an anti-GAA move in the chamber.”

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Pairing scientists with an artist-in-residence can cut through “ecofatigue” (feelings of overwhelm or exhaustion about environment issues that lead to apathy and inaction), spark emotion and change the way people deal with plastics.

My team and I recently published a study that demonstrated this is a low-cost and feasible way to tackle plastic waste in towns.

In a quiet gallery space in London, visitors paused before 13 luminous coastal scenes. Throwaway bottles bobbed in the surf; snack wrappers frayed into microplastic constellations. Many people left this exhibition determined to change their own habits.

These paintings were part of my team’s project called Trace-P (Transitioning to a circular economy for plastics with an artist-in-residence) which involves turning environmental evidence into compelling art, then measuring what the public do as a result.

Decades of leaflets, posters and worthy campaigns about plastic pollution haven’t shifted behaviour fast enough. Research (including our own previous work) shows that emotion, storytelling and “intergenerational influence” – ideas flowing from children to adults – can outperform dry facts alone. Throughout that previous project, 99% of audiences reported higher awareness, 70% intended to change how they dispose of electronic or e-waste and 65% planned to repair or reuse their belongings more. That success inspired us to test an art-led model for plastics.

The global context is stark. More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year. Only around 9% of that is mechanically recycled worldwide. A global plan to end plastic pollution by 2040 will require deep shifts in policy and markets to eliminate problematic items, scale reuse and design products that are suitable for recycling.

Art cannot deliver those reforms, but it can mobilise public demand for them.

Our plastics researchers collaborated with a professional artist, Susannah Pal. After interviews and laboratory visits, she produced a series of tragicomic (humorously sad) seascapes. In addition to running public exhibitions in London and Southampton, Pal held an online and in-person drawing workshop for the public.

Visitors learnt about the science of marine litter pathways, microplastics and consumption patterns through powerful imagery that intended to trigger emotion rather than through facts and data. We collected feedback from participants and gallery visitors via on-site in-person surveys, Post-it note “reaction walls” where people could scribble their comments and impressions of the artwork and social media posts by visitors.

Our paper, recently published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, calls this approach “com-art”. This combination of creative skills with scientific evidence can improve communication with the general public and lead to more positive action.

Viewers told us that the artworks educated them about sources and negative effects of plastic pollution. They also said that the art provoked emotions – from sadness to resolve – that helped the messages stick and encouraged them to cut personal plastic use or question throwaway lifestyles.

The feedstock problem

Europe’s plastics system is inching towards circularity via new policies and technologies such as deposit return schemes, but not nearly fast enough. In 2022, circular plastics accounted for 13.5% of new products. EU plastic recycling has essentially stalled, with plastic packaging recycling rates hovering around 40–42%.

Huge amounts of plastic waste are sent for incineration and valuable feedstock (the fossil fuel-based raw materials used to make plastic) is burned instead of being recycled or redirected back into manufacturing.

Public support for reuse, deposit return schemes and better sorting of contaminated waste is the missing multiplier.

Globally, governments are negotiating a treaty to end plastic pollution. To reach its proposed goals, citizens will need to accept refills, returnables and redesigned packaging. Art projects like ours can engage citizens with changes to everyday routines around plastic consumption and disposal.

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From inspiration to influence

Cities, schools and museums can start by making art part of their waste strategy. A local artist-in-residence, hosted by a council gallery, museum or library, costs little (a few thousand pounds) compared with large-scale infrastructure projects (that cost millions).

Art projects can help unlock more enthusiasm from citizens for deposit return schemes (refundable deposits for returning containers), reuse pilots or new recycling sorting rules. Artists can jointly create exhibitions with local schools to harness intergenerational influence. You can use short before- and after-project surveys to see what works.

Art interventions often deliver powerful but shortlived boosts in awareness and intent. By reinforcing moments – new shows, classroom projects, hands-on repair events – we can extend this awareness. It is also worth repeating art activities to reinforce messages.

Emotion opens the door to action, and convenient systems keep people walking through it. Exhibitions can be ideal opportunities to recruit residents to refill trials, deposit return collections or school “plastic-free lunch” weeks. These events can showcase possible next steps for people to take through QR codes and sign-ups to activities or maps of refill points, for example.

Plastics touch everything: health, climate, local jobs. Moving to a circular economy will take regulation, redesign and investment and public imagination. Our study shows that artists make the science more legible, memorable and motivating – and this can spark change in communities.

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 47,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

A new indie game from the makers of The Binding Of Isaac may seem a frivolous tale of magical furballs but it’s actually one of the most deeply complex strategy titles of recent years.

For a brief time, at the end of the 2010s, turn-based strategy games were fashionable. Despite loving the genre, we never would have thought that possible but, alas, those 15 minutes of fame were fleeting, and the obsession was only brief as far as mainstream gamers were concerned. As such it’s unlikely there’ll ever be another XCOM and a game like Into The Breach was only ever going to be a one-off.

Although Baldur’s Gate 3’s combat did keep the concept alive for triple-A gaming – and there’s a Star Wars themed XCOM clone coming out this year – turn-based strategies have largely returned to being the preserve of indie developers. And Mewgenics is about as indie as it gets, as one glimpse at the graphics and the credits – which largely consist of just two people – will tell you.

Beyond all the cat nonsense, Mewgenics is a disarmingly complex strategy roguelite combined with a breeding simulator to furnish an army of moggies to take on the powers of evil. It’s very silly and incredibly deep, in what must be one of the most extreme mismatches ever seen, between how a game looks and how it plays.

Although Mewgenics is essentially two games in one the basic explanation of what you’re doing is relatively straightforward. You start by managing your team of felines, kitting them out much as you might in XCOM itself. You can take four of them at a time on a single roguelite run, with combat resolved in an isometric arena reminiscent of Final Fantasy Tactics and all its many derivatives.

Should you be so skilled as to survive to the end of the day any cats that remain are automatically retired and can no longer be used again (except in special cases that we won’t spoil). Instead, you have to select replacements from your ever-growing cattery – ideally ones that have been purposefully bred for the occasion.

There’s a whole research and development element that goes on at your home base, both in terms of breeding the cats and expanding your HQ, with additional rooms and equipment that allow for buffs and other upgrades to be carried across multiple runs.

Although managing the loadouts of your cats involves a lot of very nerdy video game style considerations, the breeding is both complex and funny. Rather than dealing with test tubes and cloning vats, as you might expect when genetically engineering an army of killer kitties, you instead have to encourage loving relationships, making the critters feel comfortable and trying to stop fights between competing males. Even then your plans may be thwarted, if a female cat rejects a potential partner or a cat’s sexual preferences mean it’s not interested.

While breeding is important there’s also the issue of cat collars, which confer class types and associated abilities, and which frequently take the role of the most desirable loot. Combing genetics with collars, especially if your cat had a particularly powerful parent, allows your pussycats to gain abilities from multiple classes but also causes mutations and disorders, which can be either positive or negative – from sharper claws to an unstoppable urge to eat nearby poo.

Normally at this point in a review, we’d try to assure you that the game isn’t necessarily as complex as it sounds, but in this case that’s not really true. Mewgenics is a satisfyingly deep game, but it is a lot to take in at the start, especially given it can’t take itself seriously enough to give proper tutorials and the interface isn’t the most instinctive – especially when it comes to item descriptions, which make Elden Ring seem transparent.

The whole breeding aspect could easily have been a whole game in itself but technically it’s just a prelude to the combat, which in theory is fairly standard for the genre, as you move and attack across grid-based maps. However, the complexity of your cats’ abilities and weapons, and the weirdness of your enemies, means fights are highly unpredictable.

A successful run can take up to three hours but there’s so much randomness involved in that, in terms of the abilities your team is served up (you pick one from a selection of four each time you level up), the enemies, the locations, and random rolls of the virtual die, that the game can seem brutally unfair at times. At a base level it’s not actually that difficult but if luck is not smiling on you then it seems anything but.

As you might guess from the visuals, Mewgenics is by the creators of The Binding of Isaac. We can’t pretend it’s an art style we’ve ever liked but the game is made by basically two guys, so it’s hard to be too negative, especially given the impressive variety in cat and monster appearances. But a lot of the humour didn’t land for us and some of the depictions of the mutated or injured cats are, like their previous games, quite disturbing.

Despite its foibles, Mewgenics is an extremely ambitious and well thought out game. We didn’t gel with some of the elements, especially the random aspects and the artwork, but they’re clearly meant to be like that and are not an accident. Just like a cat, Mewgenics does not apologise for being itself and while it may not be purr-fect it’s impossible not to forgive its missteps, even when it’s purposefully annoying you.

Formats: PC
Price: TBA
Publisher: Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel
Developer: Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel
Release Date: 10th February 2026
Age Rating: N/A

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Pamela Hillidge, died at Bradford Street, Bolton on Friday under circumstances the police do not deem to be suspicious.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “Do you know the next of kin of a woman from Bolton?

“Pamela Hillidge (39) died at Bradford Street, Bolton on Friday 6 February 2026.

“There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.”

Once the police have the details that they need, they will be passed along to the Coroner’s Office to let full cause of death be established.

‘Next of Kin’ is not fully defined under UK law, but is usually understood to refer to the closest living relative, be that a parent, a child, or a sibling.

Anyone with more information is urged to call the Police Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 4687.

The 57-year-old singer is extremely close to the family and is godfather to Cruz – he has finally addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding the Beckhams in an interview

Marc Anthony has spoken out after being dragged into the centre of the Beckham family’s bitter – and very public – spat.

The 57-year-old singer has been blamed for causing the Beckham family feud, with comments he allegedly made at the 2022 wedding of Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz coming back to haunt him.

Anthony performed at the 2022 nuptials, and afterwards apparently called Victoria Beckham “the most beautiful woman in the room”, with sources claiming the comment left Nicola rushing from the room in tears. Brooklyn also rehashed the incident in his six-page social media takedown of his parents only weeks ago.

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Anthony dubbed the Beckhams a “wonderful” family.

“I have nothing to say about what’s happening with the family,” he said.

“They’re a wonderful, wonderful family. I’ve known them since before the kids were born. I’m godfather to Cruz. I’m really close to the family. But I have nothing to say about what happened there. It’s extremely unfortunate how it’s playing out.”

The Grammy Award winner then added that how the feud has played out “is hardly the truth”.

A report by PEOPLE from 2025 told of the mother-of-the-groom horror story, with another guest coming forward to confirm the incident in 2026. One source told PEOPLE that the moment left guests “in shock” and that a slow dance between Victoria and Brooklyn was inappropriate.

Fast-forward to January of this year, with Brooklyn taking to Instagram to publicly put his parents on blast. He also accused David and Victoria of attempting to sabotage his relationship with his wife, Nicola, 30.

In the now-expired six-page Instagram story, he wrote: “For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family.

“The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into… I believe the truth always comes out.”

He added that he had previously been “controlled by a family that values public promotion above all else” and said he had found “peace and relief” with Nicola.

“I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private,” he continued. “Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.

“I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.”

Brooklyn also alleged his parents interfered in his wedding plans, claiming Victoria cancelled making Nicola’s dress at the last minute and that he was pressured into signing away rights to his name before the wedding — something he said would have affected his wife and future children.

Meanwhile, David and Victoria appeared to present a united front alongside their other children — Romeo, 23, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 14 — as they attended Haute Couture Fashion Week in recent weeks. Victoria and David Beckham have yet to publicly respond to their son’s claims.

“I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private,” he continued. “Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.

“I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.”

Construction work is set to begin next week during the February half-term at Tang Hall Primary School after more than a year of delays.

As The Press reported in September 2024, the collapse of construction group ISG meant that much anticipated plans to rebuild the 100 year old building in Tang Hall was unable to even start.

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Building work by ISG was stopped at another York primary school – Hempland in Heworth, which is also part of the Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust (MAT) – with work there yet to restart.

Lorraine Atkinson, headteacher at Tang Hall Primary School, said that the staff were “excited” to see the rebuild work finally starting again with contractors Tilbury Douglas at the helm.

She said: “This first phase is a crucial step in enabling the construction of our new school, which will greatly enhance our facilities and learning spaces.

Head teacher Lorraine Atkinson with Tang Hall pupils (Image: Provided)

“We are grateful for the patience and support of our school community as this work begins.”

The current school, which dates back to the 1920s, will be replaced with a purpose-built, single-storey building which will include modern facilities including classrooms, a nursery, library, staff rooms, offices, and a hall.

Work will begin with the remodelling of part of the existing building to allow all pupils and staff to be housed on one half of the site and once complete, part of the current building will be demolished to make way for the new facility.

Play equipment outside the school (Image: Provided)

A spokesperson for Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust said: “We are delighted that the first step in Tang Hall’s new build project will shortly be underway.

“Tilbury Douglas will complete the project to the approved plans and specifications, which includes the construction of the new L-shaped single storey school building on the north-west part of the site, with the addition of a new playing field, play area, landscaping, and significantly improved outdoor space on the eastern half of the site.

“The school will remain fully operational throughout the project, with careful planning in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of pupils, staff, and visitors at all times.”

Contractors are set to start work next week (Image: Provided)

The new building, expected to be completed by winter 2027, will occupy a smaller footprint, allowing for more outdoor space and facilities on the site.

The Department for Education (DfE), which is funding and managing the rebuild, has appointed another new main contractor – Morgan Sindall Construction – for sister school Hempland Primary.

The concrete foundations and steel structure of Hempland’s new two-storey building were already completed by ISG prior to all works ceasing in September 2024.

The Pathfinder spokesperson said: “We have been working closely with the teams at the DfE and Morgan Sindall to get work restarted at Hempland as soon as possible.

The build will provide students with more outside space (Image: Provided)

“Extensive site surveys and remedial works have been taking place and we anticipate full-scale construction being able to resume during the summer term.

“We recognise the disruption and uncertainty caused by the delays in the project and would like to thank pupils, staff, parents and local residents for their continued patience, support and understanding.

“We are looking forward to delivering two purpose-built schools fit for 21st century learning which will benefit their communities for many years to come.”

Offices in Newmarket Road, Cambridge, can be converted into flats under permitted development rights, Cambridge City Council has confirmed.

An office block in Cambridge can be converted into flats under permitted development rights, Cambridge City Council has confirmed. The nine offices at 54-62 Dukes Court, in Newmarket Road, are due to be turned into 29 new flats.

The flats are proposed to include 15 one-bedroom flats and 14 two-bedroom flats. No changes are proposed to be made to the outside of the building as part of the planned conversion.

The plans, submitted by MPM Properties, said car parking and cycle parking would be provided in a basement parking area. The developer proposed to include 41 car parking spaces, six of which would be provided across three pairs of tandem spaces, and 64 covered cycle parking spaces.

The planning documents said the proposals offered “suitable car parking arrangements and ample cycle parking” to serve the new flats. Under permitted development rights offices can be converted into flats without full planning permission.

Certain criteria still need to be considered, including the transport impacts, contamination risks on site, flood risks, impact of noise from commercial premises, and whether all habitable rooms will have enough natural light.

In a report published by the city council, planning officers said it was considered that there would not be any highway impacts from the development, and confirmed that there are no flood risks.

The report said an assessment concluded that the contamination risk to future residents was “very low”, and that there were no noise concerns. Officers also said all habitable rooms would get enough natural light.

They therefore confirmed that prior approval for the changes proposed is not required and the building can be converted into 29 flats.

This is not the first time plans have come forward to convert the office block into housing. Last year the city council confirmed the offices could be converted into 23 flats, which the plans said would be a mix of one, two, and three-bedrooms in size.

For more planning notices in your area visit publicnoticeportal.uk .