Agenda and minutes

            Apologies were reported on behalf of Councillors Hargey, Magee, McDonough-Brown and Newton.

            The minutes of the meeting of 10th June were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 1st July.

            No declarations of interest were reported.

            The Deputy Chairperson welcomed Mr Donal Durkan, the Interim Director of Development, and Councillor Donal Lyons, who had replaced Councillor Claire Hanna.  She welcomed them to the meeting and wished them well in their new roles.

            The Committee considered an invitation which had been received from the Queen’s University Belfast, inviting Members to undertake a site visit to the University’s Purpose-Built Managed Student Accommodation (PBMSA) at the Elms Village, off the Malone Road.  It was suggested that the visit would be followed by a presentation regarding their Capital Development Plan.

            The Chief Executive advised the Committee that those who were also Members of the Planning Committee would need to be mindful that the university would, in due course, be presenting a number of planning applications to that Committee.  She advised that the Town Solicitor could provide individual Members who were on both Committees with specific advice.

            The Committee agreed to accept the invitation to undertake a site visit to the Queen’s University Elms Village and to attend a presentation on its Capital Development Plan.

            The Chairperson advised the Committee that Mr Andrew Leung, Associate Director at Javelin, was in attendance and he was welcomed to the meeting.  Mr Leung presented an overview of the findings from the Belfast City Centre Retail Positioning Study which had been commissioned by the City Centre Development Team to inform the approach to the proposed retail development in the North-East Quarter and other potential developments.  The Chief Executive reminded Members that this study formed just one part of the overall City Centre Regeneration Plan for Belfast.

            Mr Leung advised Members that Belfast currently ranked 18th in the VENUESCORE ranking of city centres across the UK but that it had peaked at 14th position in the past, shortly after Victoria Square had opened in 2008.  He highlighted that Belfast was currently under performing and was not attracting sufficient spend from some of the more affluent people living outside the City and concluded that Belfast should focus on attracting more aspirational retailers into the City Centre, such as John Lewis Partnership or an equivalent, in order to help stimulate retail-led development.

            The Chairperson thanked Mr Leung for his presentation and he left the meeting.

            After discussion, the Committee noted the contents of the Javelin report and agreed that further reports would be brought back on building retail within the city centre.  In addition, the Committee agreed that it would receive information as part of the parking strategy, on the potential for reduced rates or free parking being used to attract more people into the city centre at certain times, including examples of where this had been used elsewhere, for possible inclusion within the City Centre Regeneration Plan.

(Mrs Susie McCullough, Head of Marketing & Commercial Development, attended in connection with this item)

            The Chief Executive outlined to Members that the Belfast Waterfront was currently undergoing a £30m investment programme which would see the venue transformed into a new world leading conference venue, attracting up to 50,000 delegates per year and resulting in an economic impact of £45m per year to the city. She also indicated that a Belfast Positioning Strategy was in development and that this would be presented to the Committee at a later date.

            Mrs McCullough, Head of Marketing & Commercial Development, was welcomed to the meeting and presented an overview of a survey which had been carried out to gauge the impressions which people held of the Waterfront and Ulster Halls.  She provided a summary of a number of the comments which people had made about the venues, which included parking issues and a perception that, because they were Council-run, they were not commercially competitive.

            She reminded Members that Heavenly branding consultants had been tasked with developing an engaging Brand Strategy which would effectively portray the Council’s ethos and one which was owned by staff and stakeholders.  She explained to Members that the project would address the Waterfront as a standalone brand, look at how it co-existed with the Ulster Hall brand and how it played a part of the wider Belfast City and Northern Ireland brands.  Members were advised that Heavenly would present the new Brand Strategy to the Committee at its workshop on 26th August.

            After discussion, the Committee thanked Mrs McCullough for her presentation, noted the update on the Belfast Waterfront Brand Strategy and noted that Heavenly would present to Members at the City Growth and Regeneration workshop on Wednesday 26th August.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0    Purpose of Report

1.1    The purpose of the report is to:

-     Update Members on the transfer of local economic development functions from DETI/Invest NI to the Council under Local Government Reform (LGR), in particular the future Business Start Initiative

-     Provide an overview of the proposed way forward for the delivery of local entrepreneurship and business growth programmes across the city

-     Outline the range of initiatives eligible for European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme 2014 – 2020 with the potential to draw in up to 80% match funding from EU and Invest NI. 

2.0    Recommendations

2.1    Members are asked to:

-     Note the update on the transfer of economic development functions and the work undertaken to develop a regionally-consistent business start initiative for future delivery

-     Approve the recommendation to work in partnership with other councils to deliver a regional business start programme and commence procurement of the new programme in order to ensure seamless service delivery for local start-ups

-     Note the pipeline of projects being developed to create a continuum of support from start up through to business growth, incorporating tailored and sector-specific support

-     Approve the submission of ERDF applications for planned projects.

3.0    Key issues

3.1    As a result of Local Government Reform (LGR), a number of economic development functions transferred from DETI/Invest NI to councils.  The functions transferring aim to accelerate and sustain scalable local economic growth.  They include:

-     Enterprise awareness (with a particular focus on under-represented groups and targeting areas of disadvantage)

-     Start a business activity (currently referred to as the Go For It Programme)

-     Social enterprise (referred to as Social Entrepreneurship Programme (SEP),

-     Youth enterprise

3.2    The amount of budget transferred to Belfast City Council for delivery of these functions in the current financial year is £411,984.  This allocation will be used in its entirety for the delivery of the transferring functions.  Due to transfer of responsibility, councils are now responsible for the associated job creation targets identified by the NI Executive. For the 15/16 financial year a target of 325 jobs promoted applies to Belfast City Council for these specific programmes.  However, it is understood that Belfast City Council will want a much greater emphasis placed on job creation than solely through these programmes.  The same applies to promotion of good enterprise and small business start up.  

3.3    As Members will be aware, as an interim measure and to maintain a level of provision, it was agreed to continue the existing support measures in place through Invest NI until the conclusion of their contracts, in 22nd October 2015 (Go For It Programme) and 4 July (SEP).  Service Level Agreements have been developed with Invest NI to enable the delivery of these contracts from April 2015 until their conclusion. 

3.4    In March 2015, Belfast City Council, on behalf of the 11 local authorities, commissioned an appraisal and business case to inform future delivery  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4a

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0    Purpose of Report

1.1The purpose of this report is to update members on proposals to establish two Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in Belfast and to set out some of the strategic and financial implications for the council, focusing on how this can support our work to develop the city centre. 

2.0Recommendations

2.1Members are asked to:

·        Note the proposals to establish two Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) within the city centre area, including the pending dates for the ballots in the Belfast One and Destination CQ areas

·        Agree to delegate authority to the Director of Finance and Resources to cast the vote on behalf of the council in the ballot for the Belfast One Business Improvement District

·        Note a further report will be tabled to September Committee recommending a yes or no vote from Council for the Belfast One BID dependant on further necessary considerations referenced within this report

·        Agree that the bid ballot should be run by a third party – Electoral Reform Services – on behalf of the council.  All costs associated with the ballot will be paid by the BID.

3.0Key Issues

3.1Members may be aware that DSD has been working on developing the concept of “Business Improvement Districts” since 2010.  This has involved developing a legislative framework for BIDs as well as supporting a “BIDs Academy” for a number of locations that had an interest in exploring the concept of a BID for their respective areas.  The academy provided the participating areas with consultancy support to help them develop the concept to the point to which they are ready to go to ballot.

3.2A BID is a business-led initiative in a defined area where businesses decide what additional improvements they want to deliver in that area.  The businesses agree on the level of funding required to deliver the projects and services that are additional to those already provided by the council or other public or statutory body, and they agree to fund the shortfall through a levy which all businesses in the area are required to pay.

3.3The legislation is now in place to support the implementation of BIDs in Northern Ireland and the first successful ballot took place in Ballymena in March 2015 with a 41% turnout and an 80% yes vote. 

3.4Three areas in Belfast were originally part of the BIDs Academy.  These were:

·        Belfast City Centre  (“Belfast One”) – planned October 2015 ballot

·        Cathedral Quarter (“Destination CQ”) – planned February 2016 ballot

·        Lisburn Road.

3.5Due to unforeseen circumstances, it would appear that the Lisburn Road BID may not be taken forward at this point.  This is principally due to a lack of resources to undertake the necessary preparatory work on the BID. 

3.6The Belfast One BID area will cover the majority of the retail core from City Hall northwards towards Gresham Street and bounded by Millfield and Victoria Street.  The area comprises just over 1000 properties across 71  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4b

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0       Purpose of Report

1.1       The purpose of this report is to update Members on the activities delivered through the Retail Action Plan 2014-15, across the city and its arterial routes and neighbourhoods, and to agree the way forward on future support for the sector.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       Members are asked to:

-     Note the work undertaken through the 2014/15 Retail Action Plan

-     Note the review of activities undertaken to inform the future structure of support for retail across the city

-     Approve the recommendations to:

-     Continue to deliver a programme of Area Development Support for Business Associations, focusing on marketing and promotional activities, and with an increased focus on considering the sustainability of these local groups

-     Provide support for retail start-ups and existing retail businesses through the mainstream support programmes that are currently being expanded and re-configured, following the transfer of economic development powers as part of local government reform

-     Reconvene the Retail Forum, strengthening engagement with local traders groups and incorporating a wider representation of Council services, aligned to trader needs.

3.0       Key issues

3.1       Members will be aware that the Council – principally through the Economic Development Unit (EDU) – provides a range of support initiatives to encourage business start-up and growth across a number of key sectors. Although retail as a sector has contracted in recent years, it continues to be an important employer within both large and small business outlets.  Local neighbourhood-based retail plays an important role in the fabric of local communities and provides a critical service in these areas. 

3.2       As Members may be aware, approval was given at the March 2014 meeting of Development Committee to support the development of the retail sector across the city.  Initiatives delivered through the 2014/15 Retail Action Plan included:

-     Area Development Support – funding for locally-based business groups to support efforts to increase footfall in the areas

-     Start-up and product development support – targeted start-up support for new retail businesses

-     Support for the Retail Forum – a grouping of retail support organisations to share information on upcoming events and to plan collaborative activity.

3.3       An evaluation of the activity has now been undertaken by Council staff.  An overview of the key activities and their impact is detailed below.

3.4       Area Development Support

            Funding was allocated to eight local business groups to increase footfall and sales, enhance the area’s profile through branding and ‘shop local’ initiatives and support the sustainability within groups.  In the 2014-15 financial year, funding requested totalled around £79,200, while £67,600 was actually drawn down.  In addition four business associations also received resources through Area Working Group funding, with £46,000 allocated from these funds.  

3.5       An evaluation of the activities undertaken identified the following key issues:

-     Whilst some groups have a strong retail focus, others represent a wider business base and therefore their focus is broader than the economic growth agenda supported by the Economic Development Unit (currently the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4c

(Councillor Boyle, who was not a member of the Committee, attended in connection with this item and declared an interest, in that he owned and rented out properties in the Holyland and wider University area.)

            The Head of Environmental Health provided the Committee with an update on the Strategic Study of the Holyland and wider university area, and the actions which had been taken since it was adopted by Council on 2nd April 2012.  She explained that the recommendations within the study were two-fold, namely to make Belfast a Learning City and a destination of choice for students and to restore the Holyland area of the City, by gradually reintroducing affordable, single household accommodation and improving the quality of the environment.

            She explained that an action plan had been developed as the final part of the Study and advised that 60% of those actions had been progressed since the last update in April 2014, while the remaining 40% were ongoing and made up the core work of the partner agencies.

            With regards to making Belfast a destination of choice for students, she described how a Framework for Student Housing and Purpose Built Managed Student Accommodation (PBMSA) document had been completed by the Student Housing Joint Team (DOE, DSD, BCC, NIHE and SIB) and had been launched by the Council in April 2014.  She explained that recommendations from this document were now being considered in the context of the Council’s new planning powers and Draft City Centre Regeneration and Investment Plan. 

            The Committee was advised that Queen’s University had recently launched a procurement process to secure up to 1200 bed spaces within a mile radius of their Lanyon building.  In addition a range of other student housing planning applications from various applicants had been submitted.  The challenge for Council, as the planning authority, would be to ensure that PBMSA would be developed in appropriate locations in light of the existing planning policies and plans, the emerging City Centre Regeneration and Investment Strategy and the statutory requirement to develop a Local Development Plan for Belfast in the coming years.  She highlighted to the Members that the Planning and Place Department was developing a more detailed and definitive planning document to ensure the best outcomes for the city, having regard to the recommendations of the Framework for Student Housing and that this would be brought to the Planning Committee in the coming months.

            The Head of Environmental Health explained that, with regards to restoring the functional integrity of the Holyland area, the Laganbank Partners and Communities Together (PACT) partnership had been a lead network in developing actions from the 2012 Holyland study.  She explained that an Environmental Improvement Scheme had been completed along the Embankment in November 2014, 24 alleygates had been installed across the wider university area and that a number of environmental clean-ups had taken place in the area over the past year.

            Councillor Boyle, who attended in connection with this item, declared an interest and he was invited to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4d

            The Committee paid tribute to the City Events Manager and the City Events team, who had recently been awarded the President’s Recognition Award by the Belfast Chamber of Trade & Commerce.  The award had been awarded for driving footfall into the City and the Committee noted that this had been the first time it had been awarded to a public sector organisation.

            The City Events Manager provided the Committee with an update on the arrangements for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards which would take place in the SSE Arena Belfast on Sunday 20th December 2015. He reminded Members that in October 2014 the Council had endorsed £140,000 worth of Council finances which were to be allocated towards the event as well as in-kind event support via the Council’s City Events and Sports Development Unit.

            He advised that the awards ceremony would attract an audience of around 7,000 people, with audience members coming from both in and out-of-state locations and that this would represent a major contribution towards the local economy, particularly in the hospitality trade.  He highlighted that the event would also give the city the opportunity to present itself in a very positive light to an audience of over ten million viewers via BBCs various broadcasting channels.

            The City Events Manager stated that a number of events would be taking place for young people across the city to create excitement in the lead up to the event. 

            During discussion, a number of Members stated that they felt it would be important to showcase a number of different venues from all four corners of the city.  Further Members requested that officers ascertain whether the new facilities at Girdwood would be completed in time and whether it could be used during the event.  The Head of City Events reminded Members that, while the BBC had editorial control of the production, his team would endeavour, insofar as possible, to guide and influence the locations used.

            The Committee noted the contents of the report and

·        requested that officers ascertain whether  the new facilities at Girdwood would be ready in time for the event or at least some related activity;

·        agreed that officers should engage with the BBC, where possible,  regarding the venues to be used for the various events; and

·        agreed that representatives from the BBC would be invited to present to the Committee before the event.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0       Summary of main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to:

-     Update Members on a number of planned activities under the council’s International Relations Framework.

-     Seek approval for the use of resources towards the delivery of the respective events and activities, within the approved Departmental budgets.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       Members are asked to:

-     Consider and agree the council’s engagement in the Sister Cities International Summit in April 2016, up to a value of £10,000, and to host the sister cities of Nashville and Boston as part of this event.

-     Agree council support for the Youth Transformation Project, up to a value of £40,000.

-     Agree to support a small dinner reception for the New York City legislators as part of a visit to Belfast in October 2015, at a cost of no more that £3,000, to be hosted by the Chair of City Growth and Regeneration Committee.

-     Approve a budget of £10,000 towards travel, accommodation and event hosting costs as part of the January 2016 Tech Mission visit, including attendance by the Lord Mayor and a designated Officer.

3.0Main report

3.1International Sister City Event, April 2016

      Belfast City Council, along with 62 other Irish and Northern Irish local authorities who have US-based sister city and partnership linkages, have been invited by the cities of Dublin and San Jose to participate in an international summit to take place in Dublin in April 2016.  This event will celebrate Northern Ireland / Ireland – US connections, including the role that these relationships have played in supporting sustainable economic growth on the island of Ireland.

3.2The Dublin event will take place over two days, from 22 to 23 April 2016.  It is proposed that sister cities in Northern Ireland and Ireland will host their partner cities either before or after these dates.  In the case of Belfast, this would involve issuing invitations to the Mayors of Nashville and Boston to attend the Dublin event and to come to Belfast for a series of meetings in advance or after of the Dublin event.  Depending on the composition of the in-bound groups, the visit to Belfast will involve a series of one to one meetings with relevant individual groups as well as opportunities to update the delegations on wider corporate and city developments.  It will also offer an opportunity to re-focus the individual linkages with Boston and Nashville to ensure maximum benefit.

3.3Belfast – Boston Youth Transformation Project

      As part of the sister city linkage with Boston established in 2014, the theme of youth engagement emerged as a priority for potential collaboration between the cities.

3.4In the course of a number of preliminary visits and engagements between the cities, the North Eastern University (NEU) and the Irish International Immigrants Centre in Boston have proposed to develop a two city Youth Transformation Project. 

3.5The overarching aim of the proposed project is to encourage and empower a small group  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5b

            The Head of Economic Initiatives and International Development outlined to Members a number of proposals which had emerged in recent months in relation to the development of visual arts capital infrastructure in the City.

            She reminded Members that there had been references to a major city centre museum or gallery in both the Council’s City Centre Regeneration Strategy and Investment Plan, both of which referred to making use of Belfast’s built heritage.  Similarly, the Integrated Tourism Strategy for Belfast 2015-2020 had identified the theme of Contemporary Art and Design and had pointed to the need for a city centre-based attraction of international quality. 

            She pointed out that a number of organisations and partnerships had been working on proposals, in parallel, to develop a range of visual arts infrastructure proposals and that the majority of the organisations involved had engaged with the Council as consultees, some of which would also be potential funders.  Members were advised that a Visual Arts Hub and a Regional Art Gallery had now completed economic appraisals, but that a number of other proposals were at various stages of development.  She advised the Committee that agreed objectives would be reflected in the new Cultural Framework Action Plan 2016-2020.

            After discussion, it was

                  Moved by Councillor Dudgeon,

                  Seconded by Alderman McGimpsey and

      Resolved - That the Council convene a meeting of interested key parties to discuss the way forward for the major city centre art gallery/museum project in our Regeneration Strategy and Investment Plan, with a view to setting up an ad hoc advisory group.

            The Committee noted the various proposed projects and their respective stages of progress and agreed that officers should continue to engage with key stakeholders and provide further updates to the Council as required, with a focus on how they aligned with a number of wider strategic objectives to support city centre regeneration, cultural development and tourism growth in the city.

            (Ms. E. Henry, Assistant Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage Manager attended in connection with this Item)

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report

1.1       The purpose of this report is to give an update on progress on the Cultural Framework for Belfast 2012 to 2015 and seek permission to develop a new Action Plan for implementation from 2016 to 2020.  Approval is also being requested to open the core multi-annual funding programme for arts and heritage organisations.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       Members are asked to:

-     Note the contents of this report and agree to the development of a new action plan for 2016 to 2020 to support the Cultural Framework for Belfast

-     Agree to open Core multi-annual funding for arts and heritage organisations 2016 to 2020 in September 2015.

3.0       Key issues

            3.1       Cultural Framework for Belfast

            At the September 2012 meeting of the Development Committee, the Cultural Framework for Belfast 2012-2015 was agreed.  A significant programme of public engagement and consultation was carried out in the development of the framework.  While the activities agreed covered a three year work programme, the framework established a longer-term vision to 2020 that was:

‘Everyone in Belfast experiences and is inspired by our city’s diverse and distinctive culture and arts. Arts and heritage are valued for enriching quality of life and creating wealth, and the city’s culture and creativity is renowned throughout the world.’

3.2       The vision was supported by four strategic themes, namely:

1.   Distinctly Belfast

2.   Inspiring communities

3.   Attracting Audiences

4.   Strengthening the sector.

3.3       The Framework recognised that culture and arts make a vital contribution to the city, helping to improve quality of life, driving the economy and making Belfast a shared and welcoming city.

3.4       Since the introduction of the framework, the council has invested significant resources in a range of arts and heritage organisations through its various funding mechanisms. Funding schemes total an annual investment of £1.83million in the sector.  This represents an increase of 25% on the budget available in the year before the introduction of the new framework. Council budgets have remained constant during this period while other funding partners have reduced their budgets significantly over the period.

3.5       The breakdown of the direct investment package for the Cultural Framework for Belfast 2012 to 2015 has included:

-     £4.1m in 52 arts and heritage organisations through core multi annual funding

-     £176,000 through PEACE III in 11 community arts Creative Legacies projects

-     £180,000 invested in 12 large festivals through the PEACE III City of Festivals Programme

-     £480,000 in over 100 arts and heritage projects

-     Supporting nearly 100 community festivals in partnership with Department of Culture Arts and Leisure, with funding of over £400,000

-     Developing a new fund, Creative and Cultural Belfast, worth £900,000 in partnership with Arts Council of Northern Ireland.  This has resulted in 7 large scale Creative Belfast projects.

3.6       Other Cultural Framework achievements to date include:

-     Developing an Outcomes Framework called ‘Art Affects’,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5d

(Mr. M. McBride, Head of Finance and Performance attended in connection with this item)

            The Head of Finance and Performance reported that the Quarter 1 position for the City Growth and Regeneration Committee was an over-spend of £219,000 (6.0%), with the forecast year end position being an over-spend of £371,000 (2.3%).  He explained that the Committee current and forecast overspend positions were due to two specific service areas, namely, City Events and Venues and The Belfast Zoological Gardens.

            He explained that the City Events and Venues Service had reported a Quarter 1 over-spend of £93,000 and a forecast year end overspend of £260,000 and that the key reasons for this position were the loss of income above that which was planned for and the failure to reduce expenditure impacted by the loss of income. The Committee was advised that the Zoo had a net overspend of £206,000 at the end of Quarter 1, with a forecast year end overspend of £200,000.  He reported that the forecast position was due to an anticipated loss of income of £100,000 and additional expenditure, including employee costs.

            During discussion, a number of Members highlighted that the Zoo was a regional facility and that the Council should not be the sole funder of such a facility.

            The Committee agreed to request that the Development and the Parks and Leisure Departments investigate the forecasted overspends and that a report be submitted to the September meeting of the Committee outlining the corrective actions which would be undertaken to address the forecast overspend during the year. 

            The Head of Economic Initiatives and International Development advised the Committee that an application had been received for the “Taste of Northern Ireland Festival” to be held in the Custom House Square, Belfast on 18th, 19th and 20th September 2015. She advised that this would be the fifth year that the event had taken place in Belfast and that it was designed to showcase the range of food and drinks produced in Northern Ireland. She explained that the event was being organised by Denvir Marketing on behalf of Tesco, where some stall holders would have products for sale, however most would offer free samples and use the event as an opportunity to demonstrate their product range. The Committee was reminded that anyone who wished to operate a market or car boot sale within Belfast must apply to the Council for a licence and that the organisers had supplied all relevant documentation for this event.  She advised also that officers from the Markets Development Unit had engaged with the relevant officers across the Council in order to check and verify the documentation and that checks would also be carried out during the event, in line with the Markets Rights Policy guidelines.

            The Committee agreed to grant the licence for the Taste of Northern Ireland festival at Custom House Square on 18th, 19th and 20th September 2015.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives and International Development advised that a request had been received from “Folktown CIC” to waive stallage fees at the Folktown Market which took place on Thursdays in Bank Square.

            She explained that clarification had been provided on the Markets Rights Policy at the 17th February 2015 meeting of the Development Committee. The Policy, which had been in force since June 2012, had set in place a framework which allowed the Council to utilise its historic rights to hold markets and to extend these rights to third party organisations in order to operate independent markets. She explained that the policy had set out the various types of markets, the relevant conditions and the fees applicable to each.  Members were reminded that there were two elements to the market licence fee, namely a one-off licence fee and a fee per stall for each market day. The policy had indicated that, in some instances, both fees could be waived for any market which was run “for solely charitable purposes” and, working in conjunction with the Legal Services team, a number of clarifications had been provided which were endorsed by the Development Committee and ratified by Council at its meeting on 2nd March 2015.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives and International Development advised the Committee that, as a result of the above mentioned clarifications, Community Interest Companies (CICs), such as Folktown, did not meet the criteria set out in the policy in respect of events run for “solely charitable purposes” and, as such, that full stallage fees should still be paid.  They did, however, benefit from a discounted licence fee (50% of fee payable). 

            After discussion, it was

            Moved by Councillor Beattie,

            Seconded by Councillor Ó Donnghaile

      That the Committee agrees to accede to the request by Folktown CIC and to waive the stallage fees for Folktown Market Traders for a three year period.

Amendment

            Moved by Councillor Attwood,

            Seconded by Councillor Dudgeon

      That the Committee agrees to defer consideration of the request by Folktown CIC, pending a meeting with the group to ascertain if the Council could provide alternative support to the organisation,  on the understanding that a report would be brought back in due course.

            On a vote by show of hands nine Members voted for the amendment and six against and it was declared carried.  Accordingly, the amendment was put to the Committee as the substantive motion and passed.

This Item was restricted by virtue of paragraph(s) 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 6 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014

(Mr. B. Johnston, Tourism, Culture, Heritage and Arts Manager attended in connection with this item)

            The Head of Economic Initiatives and International Development sought the Committees approval to commit resources to support the development and delivery of a project as part of an initiative identified in the Belfast Integrated Tourism Strategy 2015-2020, namely, an “Ideas Factory”.

            She explained that the establishment of an Ideas Factory would take a significant lead in time and would not be fully functional and operational until the next financial year when appropriate resources would need to be allocated.  She advised that to spearhead and inform the work of the Ideas Factory it was recommended that a pilot project would be delivered in the current financial year contributing to Year 1 targets of the Integrated Tourism Strategy and providing robust data to inform future projects.

            The Tourism, Culture, Heritage and Arts Manager advised that, in response to the recommendation for an Ideas Factory, a proposal had been received from T13, an organisation which was based in the Titanic Quarter and had been instrumental in a range of urban activities, experiences and animation projects which had attracted international acclaim. He explained that T13 had designed a year 1 pilot project, “Contained”, which would take place from September 2015 to December 2015 to animate Belfast and had been inspired by best practice in urban animation from other UK and European cities.

            He explained that the approach would take the concept of pop up or temporary spaces as a key regeneration driver, drawing on the distinct character of the city and creating a unique experience that appealed to the tourism market as well as local audiences.  He advised that the Belfast project would utilise shipping containers to create innovative urban spaces, helping to connect the city centre to the river and the Titanic Quarter. 

            He advised that the total cost of the project would be £260,000, with T13 committed to investing in the infrastructure and capital costs of “Contained”, as well as delivering all PR and marketing functions in partnership with the city’s key marketing agencies.  He advised Members that the amount required from Council would be £60,000 over three months, which would be attributed to Marketing, Programming and Production and that it would be allocated from within the Tourism, Culture and Arts 2015/16 budget.

            The Committee agreed that T13 would deliver a three month pilot project called Contained, as part of the Belfast Integrated Tourism Strategy’s Ideas Factory, and approved a contribution of £60,000 to T13 which would be allocated from the Tourism, Culture and Arts Unit’s 2015-16 budget.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0       Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The purpose of the report is to consider and agree the next steps for the notice of motion on ‘family friendly city centre’ from 03 March 15 Shadow Council:

      ‘This Council notes that city centres which are child and family friendly bring a wide range of benefits including,

·        contributing to healthy childhood development;

·        driving economic regeneration as families spend more time in the City; and

·        making city centre living a more viable option for families, and thereby contributing to longer-term social regeneration.

            The Council commends the work of the Belfast Healthy Cities (BHC) organisation which has been researching and testing child friendly places since 2011, including the provision of temporary “Kids Spaces” in the city centre. The Council agrees to harness its new planning, community  planning and economic regeneration powers to develop a world class family friendly strategy for Belfast, including  the development of ‘Kids Spaces’ in the City centre.’

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       It is recommended in support of the original motion:

·        A recognition letter is sent to BHC seeking their ongoing commitment to work in partnership with Council and others in this area.

·        Officers review the details of all activities and resources to present a full and final list of current council programmes and investments with key partners like BSP which supports the benefits outlined in the motion.  This will identify opportunities, better join up existing programmes and consider how best to assign resources for the greatest measurable benefit for both CYP and city outcomes.

·        Moving forward, the benefits from specific activity around child, family and age friendly initiatives are incorporated into Council’s ambition for everyone to benefit from city regeneration and investment.

3.0       Main report

3.1       Key Issues

            Council has a positive track record of support and investment through both core services and partnership work on which to harness the new planning and anticipated regeneration powers to promote the benefits of a child and family friendly city (centre) particularly with its ongoing commitment to be a designated healthy city as part of the World Health Organisation’s European Health Network. Belfast is a member of the Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities. As part of this commitment Council, in partnership with Belfast Strategic Partnership (BSP) and the Healthy Ageing Strategic Partnership (HASP), lead and drive the Age-friendly Belfast Plan 2014-2017 as a member of the WHO Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities. BHC are also a member of both BSP and HASP.

3.2       For over ten years, delivery of the best outcomes for children and young people has been a priority for Members who have endorsed a vision for Belfast’s Children and Young People to ‘reach their potential and to recognise that Belfast is the place to be to do just that.’  A progress report on CYP outcomes approach will be presented to the People and Communities Committee September 15.

3.3       Working in partnership at regional, city and at a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8b

            The Committee considered the undernoted report and the draft response to the consultationon the review of tourism accommodation policy for the period 2015-2020:

“1.0    Purpose of Report

1.1    The purpose of the report is to present a draft response to a DETI consultation on the review of tourism accommodation policy for the period 2015-2020.  The review considers the existing accommodation provision and considers the potential future demands in light of projected growth.  A copy of the consultation is available on mod.gov.

1.2    The consultation closed at the end of July.  In order to meet the consultation timeframes, a draft response was submitted and is available on mod.gov.  However, officers confirmed that this response should be considered a draft and that it would have to be endorsed by elected members in August.  DETI provided a template for all responses so the council response follows this template.

2.0    Recommendations

2.1    Members are asked to approve the draft response to the consultation, as set out on mod.gov.

3.0    Main report

3.1    The consultation document highlights the importance of tourism to the region. It estimates that tourism supports 43,000 jobs and contributes 5.2% of the GDP.  The Programme for Government sets targets to increase tourism to 4.5 million overnight visitors and tourism spend to £1 billion by 2020. To meet these targets, it will be necessary to provide suitable accommodation.

3.2    Members will be aware that the Integrated Tourism Strategy for Belfast has a number of challenging targets in terms of visitor numbers and economic return.  The strategy proposes to double the value of tourism by 2020 to £870million annually.  

3.3    The review reveals that the main shortfall is in the supply of 4/5 star accommodation, and that Belfast in particular, may be approaching an undersupply in these categories.  This issue will become more urgent as the opening date for the Waterfront Conference and Exhibition Centre draws closer and the demand for midweek business tourism grows.  This echoes research that has recently been undertaken by Visit Belfast and, on this basis, there has been some early engagement with lending institutions, hoteliers and developers to see what can be done to address this situation.  In addition, since this engagement, a number of hotel applications have been submitted to the planning service.

3.4    One of the key proposals of significance to Belfast in the draft policy document is the proposed end to the moratorium on funding for capital investment in accommodation in Belfast.  It is proposed that a Tourist Accommodation Loan Fund will be developed for hotel and larger-scale accommodation projects in the Belfast area until 2020.  Funding will be available for a limited range of developments including:

-     New Build: four star and five star hotel developments

-     Expansion projects: four star and five star hotel expansion projects

-     Market repositioning: upgrades where, on completion, the hotel will be at least four star.

3.5    The draft policy suggests that local authorities will have a significant role to play in helping articulate the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9a