A High Court judge has dismissed a judicial review bid brought by unionist activist Jamie Bryson over Belfast City Council's refusal to reconsider a decision to remove an Eleventh Night bonfire. Mr Justice O'Hara ruled that Mr Bryson did not have legal standing to bring the challenge.

The case stemmed from events last July, when a council committee voted to send contractors to dismantle a bonfire on Meridi Street in the Village area. The council cited public health concerns, including the presence of asbestos and the risk to a nearby electricity substation that powers two hospitals. Following the vote, Mr Bryson contacted a number of councillors and urged them to use a call-in procedure under Section 41 of the Local Government (Northern Ireland) Act 2014 to have the decision reconsidered.

The council refused the call-in request, relying on its standing orders and advice from its chief executive. Mr Bryson then initiated judicial review proceedings, arguing that the refusal was unlawful. During an emergency court hearing on 10 July, it emerged that the Police Service of Northern Ireland would not provide assistance to contractors tasked with removing the bonfire. The clearance plan was abandoned and the bonfire was lit the following night.

In his judgment, Mr Justice O'Hara said the power to challenge the refused call-in belonged to the elected councillors who had sought the redetermination, not to Mr Bryson. The judge noted that Mr Bryson did not live in the Belfast City Council area and that the councillors could not assign their interests to others. He stressed that the case was about the interpretation of standing orders, not about the bonfire itself, which had long since burned.

Mr Bryson, who has campaigned in support of bonfires for many years and stated he has worked with those who built the pyre in the Village area, said after the ruling that no view had been expressed on the legal merits of his argument about standing orders. He added that a fresh challenge from a Belfast resident is now under way.