An Alliance MLA has hit out at the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) over proposals to develop a peace centre at the site of the former Crumlin Road courthouse in Belfast.

East Antrim Cllr Stewart Dickson accused the UUP of "hypocisy" after the party previously rejected a similar scheme at the Maze site, just outside Lisburn.

Mr Dickson said: "Northern Ireland is in need of a Conflict Transformation Centre, the type of which we almost saw created at the Maze site a number of years ago. We have a history we cannot run away from and a project like this can provide the focal point for information, tourism and also healing.

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"However, it is a bit rich for the UUP to suddenly propose such a centre at the Crumlin Road courthouse site when the party quite vocally changed its opinion from supporting the Maze site to opposing it for no good reason and subsequently badgered the DUP until it too stopped supporting the project.

"This is too important to play political games with or chase headlines. The DUP and UUP are the reason no peace centre currently exists at the Maze, so the way forward on one needs to have a consensus from all parties and no more about-turns before it is too late."

(CD/MH)