Ardoyne nationalists reject peace plan

Nationalist residents in north Belfast have rejected a peace plan drawn up for the flashpoint Ardoyne area because it would have included the construction of a wall between the Catholic and Protestant communities.

Loyalists in the Glenbryn area voted in favour of the scheme, which called for the construction of the wall ahead of any talks between the two sides.

The nationalists said they rejected the deal because they feared it could isolate them from the Holy Cross primary school, a Catholic school located inside the Protestant area.

Billy Hutchinson, a spokesman for the Progressive Unionist Party, said the nationalists never intended to endorse the deal. "It’s about driving Protestants out of their homes," he said.