Council says it did not receive a planning application for Bobby Sands statue

By Gráinne Ní Aodha and Cate McCurry, PA

Belfast City Council said it did not receive a planning application for a Bobby Sands statue unveiled at the weekend.

The statue of the IRA hunger striker and MP was erected at the Republican Memorial Garden in Twinbrook on Sunday to mark the 44th anniversary of his death.

The council said on Wednesday it had not received a planning application for the sculpture and is investigating the matter.

A Belfast City Council spokesman said: “Planning permission is normally required for outdoor public artworks, including sculptures and statues that are being installed on a long-term or permanent basis.

“As the council has not received a planning application for this statue to date, it is investigating the matter and cannot comment further at this time.”

Former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams was among the dozens who attended the statue’s unveiling at the weekend.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill said she visited the statue on Sunday and called it “a powerful tribute”.

Sands died on May 5th during the 1981 hunger strike, aged 27.

The father-of-one had been elected an MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone less than a month before his death.