Council says removing Waterloo Place outdoor seating due to anti-social behaviour would cost £40,000

It would cost £40,000 to remove the parklet in Waterloo Place. It was installed last year at a cost of £132,000 with the Department for Communities picking up the tab.

"Council has been asked to consider removing the parklet in order to deal with the incidents of anti-social behaviour which takes place.

"This is obviously an option which can be kept under review, however, the individuals who have been engaging in this behaviour, move to another area of the city if the parklet is removed, are likely to in effect move the issue elsewhere," a paper presented to the Council’s June Environment & Regeneration Committee meeting outlined.

Members were advised of attempts by an inter-agency group led by the Council, City Centre Initiative, PSNI and housing and welfare organisations to address the problem.

Three strategies have been employed: Managing the vulnerability of ‘a number of complex individuals’ and attempting ‘to engage and educate them on the impact of anti-social behaviour in the area’; enforcing street-drinking by-laws; and the PSNI taking a pro-active approach to criminal behaviour in the area.

The committee was told police are partly hamstrung in how they deal with the issue because they ‘do not have powers to seize alcohol being consumed in public areas unless an individual has committed another offence or the individual is under the age of 18’.

Persistent anti-social behaviour in the area is a resource drain for all of the agencies involved, the committee was informed.

“Officers are mindful of the resource implications to all of the partners in currently addressing the anti-social behaviour issues. Officers also note the annoyance and disruption caused by the behaviour of a small number of individuals and the resultant negative impact on the City Centre.

“The costs associated with removal of the facility would be in the region of c. £40k, based on an assessment of the costs involved with installation.

"There is currently no external budget provision to meet the costs of removal and therefore these would have to be met by Council,” the report stated.

2 new picnic parklets to be installed at Waterloo Place and Queen’s Quay in Derry