Belfast’s Twaddell Avenue dispute resolved after deal

The Orange Order and a residents group in Ardoyne have reached a deal to end a long running parading dispute in north Belfast.

On Friday night talks facilitators Rev Harold Good and Jim Roddy released a statement saying a deal had been agreed to end the bitter parading dispute in the Ardoyne/Woodvale area.

The Twaddell Avenue protest has been ongoing since July 2013 when a Parades Commission determination refused to allow a return leg of an Orange parade to pass a section of the Crumlin Road close to nationalist residents homes.

The area has been a flashpoint for serious public disorder in the past and a range of talks aimed at ending the dispute between Orangemen and the Crumlin Ardoyne Residents Association (CARA) had all previously ended in failure.

A statement released by Rev Good and Mr Roddy said: “We are pleased to announce that a local agreement has been reached to bring an end to the difficulties surrounding parades and protests in the Twaddell/Crumlin Road area. “The agreement has the full support of the three lodges and the Crumlin Ardoyne Residents Association. “The full text of the agreement will be made available to the media tomorrow.”

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness wrote on Twitter: “I warmly welcome tonight’s agreement between CARA & local Orange Order in N.Belfast.This is a powerful endorsement of dialogue & inclusitivy.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan commended "the spirit of cooperation and mutual respect that has allowed a common understanding to be developed on how these parades can be managed".

“I encourage the wider community to give this initiative its full support,” he said.

“I acknowledge the hard work in a spirit of genuine engagement and reconciliation by all those who were party to achieving this new approach.

“I wish to pay tribute to those in the Orange Order and among local residents for their leadership and courage in achieving this agreement. I look forward to its full implementation in good faith and good neighbourliness.”

The British government’s Secretary of State for Northern Ireland James Brokenshire also welcomed the announcement. “I commend the representatives of the Orange Order and the Crumlin Ardoyne Residents Association for their efforts in negotiating a solution. “This is a clear demonstration that local dialogue can work, and offers up the best chance of resolving disputes like this.”

It is though the Twaddell Avenue loyalist protest camp could be dismantled within days.