Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Councillor Kyle and Councillor McAteer.

            The minutes of the meeting of 9th September 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 October.

            No declarations of interest were reported.

            The Committee was advised that a letter had been received from the Titanic Foundation requesting to present the findings of an independent Three Year Evaluation of Titanic Belfast to the Committee.

            The Committee agreed to invite the Titanic Foundation to present to a future meeting.

            Mr. D. Durkan, Interim Director of Development, provided the Committee with an overview of Global Mega Trends and explained why it was important that the Council understood the imminent changes and advances in certain sectors.  He explained that these mega trends would impact upon the Council’s core strategies, including the Belfast Agenda, Integrated Economic Strategy, Place Positioning, Local Development Plan, on infrastructural development, Tourism, Events and the development of Smart Cities.

            He advised Members that, by 2020, almost 25% of retail sales would take place online and, by 2025, 81% of the population in the U.K. would be living in urban regions with many cities having expanded into Mega Regions and Mega Corridors.  He provided Members with a forecast of GDP growth over the next decade and highlighted that Northern Ireland was projected to have one of the lowest rates of growth within the U.K. and that Belfast was currently underperforming in relation to similar-sized cities in the U.K.  He highlighted that it was vital, therefore, that the Council and its strategic partners were aware of these sectoral shifts over the next number of years to ensure that strategies and action plans were being developed to take advantage of future growth. 

            He presented the top ten transformational shifts which were projected for 2020 and highlighted that Connected Living, Smart Cities and the Circular Economy were the most relevant for the future of the Council.  He advised the Committee that, in order to effectively exploit emerging opportunities, the Council would need to use its strategic partnerships, locally, nationally and internationally to compete globally.

            During discussion, the Committee discussed the ways in which the Council could practically use these mega trend predictions for the benefit of the city.  A number of Members referred to the importance of attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and the fact that the Republic of Ireland had a significantly lower level of corporation tax.

After discussion, the Committee agreed:

1.     to undertake a study visit to Dublin to investigate how, as a City, it attracts Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and what action it is taking in response to Megatrends and that the Chief Executive would explore which agencies the Committee would be best placed to meet with in Dublin on such a visit;

2.     that information would be brought back, outlining the actions which other cities were taking in response to megatrends; and

3.     that a report would be brought back detailing ways of attracting foreign investment, including evidence/analysis of the potential impacts of a lower rate of corporation tax on Belfast’s economy.

(Mr. G. Copeland, City Events Manager, attended in connection with this item)

            The City Events Manager provided the Committee with an overview of the Tall Ships event which had taken place in Belfast from 2nd-5th July 2015. He outlined that the Tall Ships 2015 event had:

·        attracted 520,000 visitors to Belfast Harbour over the four days and another 130,000 to the Tall Ships Parade;

·        generated an estimated £16 million for the local economy, which equated to a £12.30 return for every £1 of the Council’s investment;

·        attracted in excess of £200,000 of private sector sponsorship and £500,000 of grant support from the Tourism NI and the Department for Social Development;

·        recycled 95% of all waste from the event;

·        provided 96 sail trainees with the opportunity to take part in the race from Belfast to Norway; and

·        assisted in raising £10,000 for the five nominated event charities.

            A Member raised an issue regarding the location of a number of the traders’ stalls and the City Events Manager assured the Committee that they were aware of the issues and would take this into account for any future events.  In response to a further question, the City Events Manager estimated that roughly £130,000 of Council staff resources and time had also contributed to the success of the Tall Ships event and that this was notable.

            The Committee noted the contents of the report and paid tribute to the work of the City Events Team and the overall success of the event.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report

1.1       The purpose of this report is to:

-       Provide Members with further information in respect to the proposed Sister City Youth Transformation Project.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       Members are asked to:

-       Consider and agree Council support for the Youth Transformation Project, up to a value of £40,000.

3.0       Main Report

            Belfast – Boston Youth Transformation Project

3.1       Members will be aware that in May 2014, Belfast City Council signed a Sister City Agreement with the city of Boston in order to increase economic development, trade and investment, tourism, youth, cultural, faith-based exchange and educational linkages for both cities.

3.2       As part of this work, the theme of youth engagement emerged as a priority for potential collaboration between the cities.

3.3       In 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. 

3.4       The overarching aim of the proposed project is to encourage and empower a small group of young, unemployed men and women from Belfast and Boston to be future leaders in their communities, and to work towards building an inclusive and participatory society in both cities.

3.5       Both cities experience disadvantage, intolerance and fraction. This project seeks to facilitate integration and transformation: not only of the young participants and how they view themselves in society but also of how systems deal with young people in need.

3.6       The target group in mind are those who are unemployed from 15 – 25 years of age but who equally have the potential and commitment to become change leaders in their community.

3.7       The Council has established a local steering group in order to inform and deliver the intended project. It includes key stakeholders in this area, such as the 174 Trust, Springboard, Probation Board NI, PSNI, Stratagem, Youth Justice Agency and Belfast Metropolitan College.  Members will be aware from the previous report that the main thrust of the project is to:

3.8       Stage 1

-       Recruit and prepare 12 young people from each city to develop their self confidence and community leadership skills as well as undergoing a programme of study which will enhance skills transferable into the labour market (e.g. communication, presentation, report writing etc).  The recruitment will be undertaken by experienced members of the project steering group who will also develop the criteria to ensure a balanced grouping.

-       Each group of young people will work with their stakeholders agencies (listed above) in their respective cities on addressing barriers that young people face with regards to conflict, policing and justice.

-       Enable young beneficiaries to develop analytical skills and produce recommendations in regard to conflict resolution, policing and transitional justice.

3.9       Stage 2

-       Undertake an intensive 7 day programme in the Sister City which will enable them to appreciate the processes and systems applied in creating inclusive societies capable of assisting  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4b

            (Mr. J. Cunningham, Regulatory Services 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 update Members on the findings of a recent review into issues associated with the operation of hop on hop off bus tours in the city and to consider any relevant actions that the Council and partners might undertake in order to address these issues. 

2.0    Recommendations

2.1    Members are asked to:

-  Note the update on issues relating to tourist bus operators in the city

-  Support the development of a code of conduct for operators and work with partners and the operators to explore how this can be managed

3.0    Main report

3.1    Tourism in Belfast was worth £460m in 2014.  It is imperative as we seek to grow that figure in the coming years that we are very mindful of the visitor experience at all levels.  Large numbers of visitors are currently using the hop on and hop off bus services and it is important that this experience complements the overall message of the city as a quality visitor destination.

3.2    Members may be aware that the Council has previously discussed a range of issues associated with the conduct of companies providing hop on hop off bus tours for tourists to the city.  There had been some concern that the behaviour of staff could have a negative impact on the city as a welcoming tourism destination.  The issue appeared to be particularly challenging during busy periods and on cruise ship days.

3.3    During the summer of 2015, some of these tensions arose.  However, according to Visit Belfast, these were not on the scale on previous events.  Despite this, there have been a range of complaints raised through organisations such as Belfast City Centre Management (BCCM) and Visit Belfast themselves and the issue was discussed at the Board meetings of both organisations recently. 

3.4    Currently, there are two operators licensed to operate tours in Belfast.  They are:

         -     Belfast City Sightseeing Tours

         -     Belfast City Tours (Titanic Bus Tours).

3.5    In order to identify whether there was an opportunity for the Council and partners to take any specific action on the matter, some research was undertaken to understand the operating framework within which the organisations work; the current sales policy for those wishing to buy tickets for the tours and the view of tourists on the services provided. 

3.6    With regard to the operating environment, bus tour operators are governed by the Transport Act (1967) and licences are issued by DVA within the context of this Act and must be renewed on an annual basis.  This sets out the conditions under which licences are granted, as well as potential conditions for refusal.  These can include the previous conduct of applicants and the financial standing of businesses applying for the licence.  The Act does not provide sufficient cover to take action against instances that have prompted concern in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4c

            The Interim Director of Development reminded the Members that, at its meeting on 10th June 2015, the Committee had approved the tourism business plan and the conference subvention activity which had been contained within it.  He sought the Committee’s approval to allocate £105,000 from the existing Departmental budget to support conference subvention for 2015/16.  The Committee was advised that Tourism Northern Ireland (TNI) would match the Council’s £105,000 contribution.  He outlined to Members that this would be an interim arrangement, pending a review of conference subvention which was to be completed by December 2015. 

            The Committee:

1.     Agreed to allocate £105,000 from the current year’s budgets to support conference subvention activity for 2015/16 as an interim arrangement, pending the review of conference subvention to be completed by December 2015 (This would be 50% of the subvention budget for the year, with the remaining 50% to be provided by TNI); and

2.     Noted that subvention funds had been budgeted for in previous years and were normal practice in this industry.

            The Interim Director of Development provided Members with an overview of a proposed business mission to the South by Southwest event (SXSW) which would take place between 14th and 18th March, 2016.  He advised Members that, since 2008, the Council had been part of a delegation attending SXSW in Austin, Texas, to promote Belfast as a key investment location along with its music and digital industries.

            He reminded Members that the Council had been playing a key role in supporting the development of the creative, digital and technology sectors in the City and that a fundamental element of this support had been assisting local companies to export to new markets, with the USA identified as a key market.

            He outlined the details of the SXSW event which included a main conference and exhibition, along with a series of pre-arranged meetings, seminars, networking events and creative showcases and was attended by over 15,000 individuals. The conference had global recognition, attracted international speakers and in recent years it had developed an increasing emphasis on the digital/interactive elements of the Conference, which was aligned to Belfast’s key creative and technology sectors.

            In March, 2015 the Council had participated in a business mission to SXSW in partnership with Invest NI, Generator NI and UKTI. The delegation had included ten local companies and four musicians and, while many of the business opportunities were still being developed, the key business outcomes reported to date had included:

·        Over 100 new business leads identified and 2 new company/app launches;

·        £45,000 of sales secured, with potential for a further £75,000;

·        $500,000 of debt finance being negotiated;

·        Distribution deals identified in the America and Australian markets

            The Interim Director recommended to the Committee that, by participating in SXSW 2016, it would provide an opportunity to build upon the 2015 Trade Mission, once again in partnership with Invest NI, Generator NI and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI).

            After discussion, the Committee:

1.     Noted the proposal to develop a programme of activity and support the business mission to Austin, Texas in partnership with Invest NI, Generator NI and UKTI in March 2016;

2.     Approved the participation of the Lord Mayor, the Deputy Lord Mayor (or their nominees) and one officer to attend; and

3.     Approved a total budget of £20,000 to support the business mission and noted that this was planned for in the existing budgets.

            (Mrs. C. Cassin, Markets Development Manager, attended in connection with this item)

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“2.0     Recommendations

2.1       Members are asked to:

-       Agree to grant the licence for the monthly market in Ballyhackamore

-       Note the recent engagement with Folktown CIC with a view to supporting the promotion of the market, as part of a wider commitment to promote all city markets

-       Adhere to the original decision of the Development Committee from February 2015 which concluded that stallage fees should be payable at Folktown market.

3.0       Key Issues

3.1       Request to grant markets’ licence to monthly market in Ballyhackamore

            Members will be aware that anyone wishing to operate a market or car boot sale within Belfast must apply to Belfast City Council for permission to do so. An application has recently been received from Ballyhackamore Business Association (BBA) to operate a monthly market in the grounds of St Colmcille’s Church off the Upper Newtownards Road.  

3.2       The Association held their first market on Saturday 22 August 2015.  Given that the market had less than 20 traders, the licence application was approved by the Director of Development, in line with the Markets Rights Policy which gives him delegated authority to approve all markets with less than 20 stalls.  Following the success of the inaugural event and the follow-up market in September, BBA have advised that they wish to seek a licence for the market which will allow them to attract a greater number of traders – possibly up to 35.  This will require approval by the City Growth and Regeneration Committee.

3.3       BBA has already paid the £50 application fee as well as the stallage fees due for each stall at the two previous markets (stallage fees are £6).  The Association has already supplied the relevant documentation for this event including public liability insurance, method statement and risk assessments and has engaged with the relevant officers across the Council, including food safety. 

3.4       Request by Folktown CIC to waive stallage fees at Folktown Market

            At the 17 February 2015 meeting of the Development Committee, a report was presented to provide some clarification around the Markets Rights Policy.  The policy, which has been in force since June 2012, sets in place a framework which allows the Council to utilise its historic rights to hold markets and to extend these rights to third party organisations to allow them to operate independent markets. 

3.5       The policy sets out the various types of markets, the relevant conditions and the fees applicable to each.  Currently, there are 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 the licence fee and the stallage fee would be waived for any market which was run ‘for solely charitable purposes’. 

3.6       With the policy in operation for over two years at that point, it had become clear that there was a level  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5a

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To provide an update on Coca-Cola Zero Belfast Bikes, the Belfast public bike share scheme which was launched on the 27th April 2015.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       Members are asked to note the following key issues:

2.2

·        The performance of the Belfast Bikes scheme in the first five months of operation and a sample of the positive customer feedback received;

·        The need to sustain membership and subscriptions in order to meet Year 1 targets through ongoing marketing and promotion of the scheme. Additional resources for ongoing marketing and promotion of the scheme are currently being considered;

·        The progress of Phase 1a expansion, which should alleviate pressure in areas of current high demand; and

·        That progress on Phase 2 expansion and proposals will be brought back to Committee for further consideration and approval.

3.0       Main report

3.1       Background

            The development of a public bike share scheme was identified as a partnership project in Belfast City Council’s Investment Programme 2012-2015. The Council secured £1.1 million funding from the DRD Active Travel fund, which covered the capital cost of Phase 1 of the scheme of 300 bikes and 30 docking stations located in the core city centre area. The Council has committed to covering the annual running costs of operating and maintaining the scheme over a six-year contract. It was agreed that future phases would be dependent on evaluating the success of the first phase, together with securing the additional capital and revenue monies necessary to support any extension.  

3.2       Membership and Usage

            The Belfast Bike scheme has proved extremely popular since its launch on the 27th April. In the first 5 months of operation there have been over 95,000 trips taken on the bikes with the milestone of 100,000 journeys expected to be reached by mid October. It has outperformed other UK schemes such as Glasgow Bike Hire which only reached 100,000 trips after 14 months of operation - a larger 400 plus bike scheme. There are over 9,700 customers registered through the Belfast Bikes website of which 4,764 are subscribers (2,991 annual and 1,773 casual). In addition a number of large companies have approached the Council to explore the potential for corporate memberships covering a number of staff.

3.3       The majority of journeys on Belfast Bikes occur on weekdays (Monday to Friday) with a record day on Thursday the 2nd July of 1,197 trips.   There is high demand in certain areas, causing pressure on the docking stations with redistribution of bikes required at peak times (mainly 8am to 9.30am) at Bradbury Place, Gasworks, and Central Station as the stations empty quickly. The busiest station is at the Odyssey with a high number of rentals and returns throughout the day. Extra capacity would also appear to be needed at the docking stations at Alfred Street and Linenhall Street office areas. Stations near commuter hubs (Central Station and Blackstaff Square) are utilised mostly at morning and evening peak  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6a

            The Interim Director of Development advised the Committee that, in recent years, the Belfast Zoo had investigated the possibility of hosting a craft event in the grounds of the Zoo.  He informed the Committee that the Zoo had received a request to host a trial number of NI Crafting Collective events during the Christmas period, on the following dates:

·        Saturday 12th December

·        Sunday 13th December

·        Saturday 19th December

·        Sunday 20th December

·        Monday 21st December

            The Director confirmed that the NI Crafting Collective had stated that approximately 15 to 20 exhibitors would be available on those dates, and would be selling a range of handmade products and artisan foods.  He explained that it was therefore considered reasonable that £12 per stall would be charged to stall-holders for the December dates, equating to a cost to the NI Craft Collective of roughly £180 per day.  He explained that an evaluation of the December trial would be submitted to a future committee meeting to determine whether the craft stalls could be considered as part of the zoo’s annual events calendar in 2016.

            The Committee acceded to a request for the Belfast Zoo to host the NI Crafting Collective on the above-mentioned dates, applying the charges outlined in the report and subject to compliance with all statutory and legal requirements. 

            The Committee considered the undernoted response to proposals which TransportNI were currently consulting on:

“Response to TransportNI on proposals

Coach Parking Bays – Donegall Quay, Duncrue Road & Falcon Road

The Council is aware that there has been an increase in demand for coach parking in the city centre in recent years and recognises that the coach sector is an important contributor to Belfast’s economy. The Council supports the provision of additional coach parking facilities as identified by the FPT as it should improve coach access to the city centre and lead to a potential increase in visitors. Given the proximity of the proposed Donegall Quay coach parking bay to the Belfast Bikes docking station there is potential that the bay may provide opportunities for more linkages and integrated travel across the city. While the Council supports the proposed locations, there is a need for a more strategic approach to address the current issues surrounding coach parking including limited daily parking, the absence of secure overnight coach parking and increasing vandalism.

Waiting Restrictions – Broadway, Broomhill Park, Florenceville Avenue & Genoa Street

The Council is supportive of the introduction of waiting restrictions at Broadway, Broomhill Park, Florenceville Avenue and Genoa Street. It is considered that the proposals will prevent congestion and improve the flow of traffic in these areas. In addition the restrictions should improve accessibility for pedestrians by preventing vehicles from parking on the footway.

Proposed Taxi-Bus Ranks – Bridge Street & North Street

The Council welcomes the provision of the proposed taxi-bus ranks at the above locations. This is subject to DRD engagement with the frontages along the proposed ranks.

Proposed Taxi Ranks – Bridge Street, Dublin Road, Botanic Avenue & High Street

The Council welcomes the proposed extension and additional provision of ranks for public taxi hire which could enhance provision for customers in Belfast. This support recognises the important role that taxi operators perform in supporting access and contributing to the successful management of the economy in Belfast. This is subject to DRD engagement with the frontages along the proposed ranks.”

            The Committee endorsed the response and agreed that it be submitted to DRD.

            The Interim Director of Development presented plans to the Committee regarding attendance at the Eurocities annual conference (AGM).  He explained to Members that Eurocities was a network comprising of local elected Members and officers from over 130 of Europe’s largest cities which monitored and influenced EU policy and legislation and provided a platform to share best practice and work together on social inclusion, economic development, knowledge society, environment and mobility.

            The Director outlined that the Eurocities AGM was the main political networking event, with around 500 officers and elected Members, mostly Mayors, attending to debate key policy areas and challenges facing cities.  The Committee was advised that this year’s conference would consider best practice examples of how other cities had addressed air quality problems, youth unemployment and city economic inactivity, how to compete in a global marketplace for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and attracting international populations as well as tackling urban mobility challenges, such as neighbourhood connectivity and sustainable travel.  He highlighted that these topics aligned to key areas within the Belfast Agenda and within the Council’s strategies, including the Integrated Economic Strategy, the Skills and Employment Strategy and the City Centre Regeneration and Investment Strategy.

            He recommended that the Committee considered the attendance of the Lord Mayor and the European and International Relations Manager in order that they could:

·        network with other city colleagues and develop ideas for collaborative EU funded projects to deliver on elements of the City Centre and Future City plans;

·        promote the ongoing development in Belfast focusing on the City Centre Regeneration and Investment Strategy and Belfast Agenda; and

·        learn from best practice in other cities in the field of urban development in order to inform future development activity in Belfast.

            The Committee agreed support, at a maximum cost of £1,250 each, for the attendance of the Lord Mayor and the European and International Relations Manager at the 2015 EUROCITIES AGM from 4th – 6th November, 2015 in Malmo and Copenhagen and that this would be covered from within the EU Unit’s existing annual budget.