Agenda and minutes

            An apology for inability to attend was reported on behalf of Councillor Dorrian.

            The minutes of the meetings of 6th and 27th March 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 April.

            No declarations of interest were reported.

The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 9th January, it had endorsed the following motion on Private Car Parks, which had been proposed by Councillor McReynolds:

“This Council is concerned at the practice of private car park operators and their agents in Northern Ireland, is concerned at the lack of an effective and independent appeal mechanism to allow individuals to challenge penalty notices issued by or on behalf of such operators and agrees to write to the Department of Justice, calling for an independent Parking Ombudsman, similar to England and Wales, to be created at the earliest opportunity.”

The Democratic Services Officer drew the Committee’s attention to a response which had been received from the Permanent Secretary, Department of Justice. The Permanent Secretary had explained that the Department of Justice’s remit for private parking extended solely to the licensing of vehicle immobilisation operatives, through the Security Industry Authority, with a view to protecting public safety. It had, therefore, no responsibility for the wider aspects of parking.

He had pointed out that the regulation of parking in England and Wales was handled differently to Northern Ireland and referred to the Parking on Private Lands Appeals (POPLA) process which had been introduced in those countries by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. That legislation had introduced also the concept of “keeper liability”, which allowed companies which were members of an accredited trade association to obtain details from the Driver and Vehicle Agency to pursue the keeper of a vehicle for charges. Keeper liability was, therefore, fundamental to the POPLA process.

The Permanent Secretary had concluded by stating that the British Parking Association had been invited to extend POPLA to Northern Ireland. However, it would only consider doing so if keeper liability were to be introduced which, he had confirmed, was not a matter for the Department of Justice.

The Committee noted the information which had been provided.

The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 9th January, it had agreed to receive at a future meeting a presentation on the proposed restoration and development of the Grand Opera House.

It was reported that Mr. I. Wilson, Chief Executive of the Grand Opera House, and Mr. J. D’Arcy, Deputy Chair of the Grand Opera House Trust, were in attendance and they were welcomed by the Chairperson.

Mr. Wilson informed the Committee that the Grand Opera House, which had opened on 23rd December, 1895, was regarded as one of the finest examples of nineteen century theatre architecture. He highlighted the unique relationship which had developed between the Grand Opera House and the people of Belfast over the years and pointed out that in 2018:

·        the theatre had attracted a total audience of 300,000 across 400 performances;

·        78,000 people had attended a pantomime;

·        56,000 schoolchildren had viewed a show;

·        55,000 people had attended shows which had been produced in Belfast;

·        there had been 6,500 participants in the theatre’s Creative Learning Programme; and

·        1,000 people had registered for the Theatre’s Access for All scheme.

He reported that the Grand Opera House had last been restored in the late 1970s and that, for the past five years, the Grand Opera House Trust had been planning an ambitious restoration and development project, with a view to securing the asset for future generations. The project would include the restoration of the auditorium’s plasterwork and of the glass extension facing onto Great Victoria Street, the upgrade of air handling equipment and technical infrastructure and the replacement of seats and the stage curtains within the auditorium. Facilities for theatre-goers would be enhanced by, for example, improving disability access and toilet provision and the Act II front-of-house space would be re-modelled to incorporate a permanent exhibition celebrating the many famous people who had performed in the theatre.

Mr. Wilson added that the restoration and development project, which was scheduled to commence early in 2020, would take approximately ten months to complete. During that time, the Grand Opera Trust would undertake an extensive outreach and education programme, involving talks, tours, workshops and events across Northern Ireland. He concluded by pointing out that the project would support the aims of the Belfast Agenda and would contribute to the local economy and the City’s tourism and cultural offering. 

Mr. D’Arcy explained that the restoration and development project would cost in the region of £12.17 million, with the Grand Opera House Trust contributing £4.2 million and the National Lottery Heritage Fund £4.8 million. A further £500k had been secured from charities/foundations and it was hoped that a public fundraising campaign and in-kind contributions, through volunteer time, would generate a further £920k. Of the £1.5 million still required, the Department for Communities and the Council were being requested to allocate £1 million and £750k respectively.

The Strategic Director of Place and Economy informed the Committee that the Director of Finance and Resources had confirmed that no budgetary provision  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3a

            The Committee approved a request from a representative of Queen’s University Belfast to attend a future meeting in order to outline the main issues impacting upon the Higher Education sector and its role in growing the economy. 

(Verbal Update)

The Committee was provided with the latest update on the City Centre Recovery Programme, which had been established following the Bank Buildings fire on 28th August.

The City Regeneration and Development Lead Officer provided details of those premises which had re-opened recently and those which were due to re-open and confirmed that, whilst the Bank Buildings’ façade retention scheme was due to be completed by the end of April, it would be a further period of time before the cordon at the Castle Street junction would be reduced. She reviewed the footfall figures for the City centre for the month of January and, together with the Director of Economic Development, reviewed the work which was being progressed or was being planned under each of the key strands within the Recovery Programme, namely, physical and environmental enhancements, the animation programme, incentivisation and trader support, marketing/ communications and research/retail.

She then drew the Members’ attention to regeneration plans for the Bank Square/Castle Street Area, which would include, in the medium term, the College Court Developer Contribution Pilot Project public realm works and, in the longer term, the re-development by the private sector of Norwich Union House and proposals for residential and hotel developments in the Fountain Street and Queen Street area.

After discussion, the Committee noted the information which had been provided.

The Director of Economic Development submitted for the Committee’s consideration the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The purpose of the report is to update the Committee on progress to undertake research to establish City centre accessibility needs.  The report also seeks approval to provide financial support to Shopmobility Belfast to ensure service continuity, pending the outcome of the research. 

2.0      Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is requested to:

                                                  i.          note and agree the aims and objectives of the proposed research work to be undertaken to assess city centre accessibility needs which will inform future city centre investment decisions; and

                                                 ii.          approve a financial contribution of £15,000 for Shopmobility to support the continuation of service delivery in the Belfast City Council area in this financial year.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Members will be aware of the scale of investment that is taking place in the city centre and the commitments contained within the Belfast Agenda to continue to invest here.   In order to ensure that these developments can be experienced by everyone, officers are currently working on research to identify barriers to accessing the city centre and its range of facilities including shops, entertainment venues, bars, restaurants, accommodation and services. This research will consider access issues that could potentially reduce participation and will include customer and visitor satisfaction surveys to measure current levels of private and public provision. It will also identify potential improvements that could be implemented to ensure that the city centre is more user-friendly and welcoming to all.  The initial work will focus on physical disabilities but the research will also consider the wider range of disabilities and actions required to ensure that those with any type of disability can access and enjoy the facilities of the city centre.    

3.2       The key aims of the research are to:

·        assess the level to which accessibility is an issue for Belfast city centre;

·        identify areas of intervention and make recommendations on the appropriate type of interventions required to achieve a meaningful impact; and

·        assess the level of commitment from private and public sector partners to invest collectively towards more joined-up, accessible and inclusive services.

3.3       The research piece will include the following elements:

·        a series of engagement with users of the city centre including surveys with shoppers and event attendees;

·        one-to-one meetings and focus groups with key internal and external stakeholders including Disability Advisory Panel, Shopmobility and Disability Go, BIDs and city economic and community stakeholders;

·        consideration of best practice across other areas including innovative solutions to promote inclusive city centres;

·        an analysis of demographics to quantify the demand for accessibility services across Belfast, forecast, and changes in this demography over the next 3-4 years;

·        an assessment of the quality and extent of accessibility support services across the city by private, public or community organisations;

·        consideration of how interventions to support city accessibility needs could be supported through broader factors such as developer contributions and private sector interventions; and

·        recommendations for future interventions to maximise  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5b

The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       To report on the outcomes of Belfast at MIPIM 2019 and seek approval to attend MIPIM 2020.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is requested to:

                                          i.          note the update from Belfast at MIPIM 2019, including the programme of events, meetings and media coverage, and to note that a number of follow up visits and meetings are planned in the near future as a direct result of this;

                                         ii.          note that planning for MIPIM 2020 needs to commence immediately and Members are requested to approve attendance by the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the Committee, or their nominated representatives, along with senior officers, as appropriate, this will include travel and accommodation;

                                       iii.          approve funding of £80,000, as part of the overall public private sector sponsorship fund, in line with the Council’s sponsorship amount in 2019. This will be met from within the existing City Regeneration and Development departmental budget;

                                       iv.          approve the appointment of external consultancy support for programming, event management, communications and design for MIPIM 2020. The cost of this will be met from the overall private public sector sponsorship fund;

                                         v.          approve the Council entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with the European Waterfront Cities Network, as outlined below; and

                                       vi.          approve officer attendance at EXPO Real in October 2019, as outlined below.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       The Committee will recall that, at its meeting in April 2018, it approved attendance at MIPIM 2019. MIPIM is the premier event in the European real estate calendar where many of the world’s investors, developers, funders, from both the private and public sector gather to showcase cities and investment and regeneration opportunities. Almost 27,000 people attended the 30th MIPIM Edition 2019. This is the fourth consecutive year that the Council have led the Belfast delegation to MIPIM. 

            Belfast at MIPIM Delegation

3.2       A record number of 100 delegates attended MIPIM as part of the Belfast delegation. This was made up of 43 supporting private and public-sector organisations. Organisations supporting Belfast at MIPIM 2019 included: Belfast Region City Deal partner Councils, Belfast Harbour Commissioners, Queens University Belfast, Tourism NI, Translink, Visit Belfast, Ulster University together with a number of developers, professional and financial consultancy organisations.

            Belfast at MIPIM Programme

3.3       The 3-day event conference involved a concentrated programme of events, meetings and engagements which provided a key opportunity to promote and showcase Belfast as an attractive location for investment and development. It should be noted that the major UK and European cities and regions are all represented at MIPIM. It is considered critical that Belfast is represented on this global platform as a place to invest in alongside other key cities and regions.

3.4       The Belfast at MIPIM 2019 Programme included 15 unique events organised by Belfast at MIPIM, with each event designed to highlight a range of key strengths that underpin Belfast’s strong investment proposition. This included the Belfast Region City Deal, connectivity, technology and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6a

The Director of Economic Development informed the Committee that the Arts Council for Northern Ireland had published for consultation its draft five-year strategic framework for developing the Arts for the period from 2019–2024. The framework, which followed on from its previous five-year strategy, provided an overview of the strategic direction which the Arts Council was proposing to take over the next five years, with its ambitions and priorities being structured under the principles of Inspire, Connect and Lead. The draft framework had been developed in consultation with the arts sector and key stakeholders, including the Council, and input from the public had been welcomed.

He submitted for the Committee’s approval the following draft response to the consultation and pointed out that, although the deadline for submissions had passed, the Arts Council had agreed to accept it, on the understanding that it would require ratification by the Council on 29th April:

Council Response

“1.1      Belfast City Council’s support for Culture and Arts

1.1.1     As the Arts Council (ACNI) is aware, Belfast City Council is strongly committed to supporting culture and arts in the city. The Cultural Framework for Belfast 2012 to 2020 sets out a vision for Belfast that:

            By 2020, 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.

1.1.2     In March 2016, we committed over £5.8m to support the core costs of 56 culture, arts and heritage organisations in the city over a four-year period (2016-2020).  Our investment over this period also included additional financial support of over £1m for high quality arts and heritage projects, as well as community festival awards (jointly financed by the Department for Communities).

1.1.3     We have also worked with the ACNI on a number of partnership projects. In 2014 we invested £900k in partnership with the ACNI on seven large-scale Creative and Cultural Belfast projects.  These were big, bold, collaborative projects aimed at offering as many people as possible the opportunity to take part in high-quality cultural projects which were distinctly Belfast in character.

1.1.4     In 2017, we agreed to co-invest £600k over a period of three years with the ACNI in a Resilience Programme which aimed to tackle complex issues of sustainability in the context of a challenging funding environment.

1.1.5     In 2018, the Council also secured £400k of EU funding for the delivery of our PEACE IV Creative Communities projects which are currently under development.

1.1.6     The points outlined above by no means represent a full picture of our levels of investment in the arts.  Rather, they offer a snapshot of the variety of investment and highlight in particular previous and on-going areas of collaboration with the ACNI.  Overall, since the inception of our Cultural Framework for Belfast in 2012, the Council has maintained levels of investment in cultural and arts. 

1.1.7  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6b

The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to seek approval for the activities set out in the delivery plan for 2019-2020 to support:

-       commitments in the existing Cultural Framework for Belfast Action Plan 2016-2020 and the Integrated Tourism Strategy 2015-2020 including approval to enter into relevant legal agreements and Service Level Agreements with named delivery partners; and

-       ongoing work on the development of a new Cultural Strategy 2020-2030 and associated implementation plans.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is recommended to:

                                          i.          note the contents of this report; and

                                        ii.          agree the work programme (2019/20) including the associated budget requirements.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Background

            The Committee will recall that, in March 2019, it approved the draft Cultural Strategy 2020-2030 to go out for a 12-week public consultation. To support the ongoing development of this strategy, Committee also agreed with the proposed timeline to bring back a series of draft implementation plans and a financing strategy in September 2019. The Delivery Plan which has been circulated integrates this work with ongoing programmes already in place to support the delivery of the final year of both the existing Cultural Framework for Belfast 2016-2020 and the Integrated Tourism Strategy 2015-2020.

3.2       Key Issues

            New Cultural Strategy 2020-2030

            The purpose of the strategy document that was approved for public consultation subject to Council ratification is to present the overall approach and commitments over a ten-year period. The next phase of work will give detailed consideration to how this will be delivered in line with the agreed timeframe that requires new programmes to be operational from April 2020. Therefore the delivery plan for 2019/20 includes the development of initial three year implementation plans that as well as being cross-cutting will specifically address:

-       Arts and Heritage

-       Events and Festivals

-       Tourism product development including neighbourhood tourism

-       Major strategic initiatives.

3.3       These will be supported by a proposed investment model, communications strategy and evaluation framework. In addition, there is a need to continue with existing commitments to support the final year of implantation of the current Cultural Framework and Tourism Strategy.

3.4       Cultural Framework

            The plan has taken into consideration the range of actions to be delivered over the four-year period of the Cultural Framework Action Plan (2016-2020) and has identified a number of priorities to be delivered in the final year 2019/20. As in previous years, partnership working is essential to the development and delivery of actions within the Cultural Framework and Action Plan. Across each of the 4 themes of the existing Cultural Framework, some of the proposed actions for 2019/20 will include:

            Distinctly Belfast

-       Deliver a City of Music programme to support plans to apply for UNESCO designation as well as animating the city centre and celebrating the city’s music heritage

-       Deliver a ‘Bringing Heritage to Life’ programme and establishing a Heritage Forum

-       Deliver a partnership project with National Museums and Ulster University  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Director of Economic Development submitted for the Committee’s consideration the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to seek the Council’s support for the campaign to host the World Chambers Congress event in the City in 2023.  This bid is a joint effort involving many city and regional partners.  If successful, it is estimated that the congress would have an economic impact of almost £2million for Belfast. 

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is requested to:

                                          i.          note the proposed joint bid to hold the World Chambers Congress in Belfast in 2023; and

                                         ii.          agree to allocate up to £10,000 of Council resources towards the bid process and to approve the attendance at the Rio event in June 2019 of a senior officer from the Council, as part of a wider delegation from Belfast, with costs for attendance not to exceed £3,500.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       The Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber), supported by Visit Belfast and Invest Northern Ireland, is bidding to host the ICC WCF World Chambers Congress in 2023 and is working in partnership with a range of Northern Ireland stakeholders to help drive the campaign and add weight to the bidding process.

3.2       The Congress is held every two years in a different region of the world, and is a three-day event that brings together over 1,000 delegates representing chamber leaders, business heads and key government figures. Travelling from across the globe, they attend to learn and be inspired by some of the world’s leading influencers – all with the goal of helping transform the future of business.

3.3       The opportunity to host the Congress in Europe only comes round every 8 years with the next European bidding cycle completing in autumn 2020.    NI Chamber has lobbied its networks in GB and ROI, and Belfast will go forward as the only UK/Ireland bidding city, with the support of the 52 UK and 24 Irish Chambers of Commerce.  This significantly enhances the strength of the Belfast bid.

3.4       The World Chambers Congress has been identified as a key strategic hosting opportunity and securing the Congress for Belfast could contribute an estimated £1.92m to the local economy as well as supporting the economic objectives of:

·        attracting foreign direct investment

·        establishing links for international trade and

·        promoting business and leisure tourism.

3.5       NI Chamber has initiated a two-year bidding campaign which will culminate in the final bid presentation to members of the World Chambers Federation General Council in November 2020.  In 2019, the campaign will focus on generating awareness of the Belfast bid as well as outreach to the key decision makers within international Chambers.  A core element of this strategy will include attendance at the 2019 World Chambers Congress being held in Rio de Janiero in June this year.   It is a significant opportunity to:

·        Showcase Belfast’s bid proposition and all associated messaging

·        Connect with Chamber representatives from the judging panel  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 27th June, 2018, it had agreed that, from 2019 onwards, the Belfast City Marathon would be held on a Sunday and had approved a revised route for the event. The Committee, at its meeting on 13th February, had approved a rolling reduction in the Council’s financial commitment to the Marathon, from £26,000 in 2019 to zero support by 2025/26.

The Director of Economic Development explained that the request to move the Marathon to a Sunday had originated from the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, on the basis that trade had suffered significantly when the event had been held on a Bank Holiday Monday and that visitor numbers would increase.

He reported that the number of competitors registering to run the full Marathon course had risen from 2,394 in 2018 to 4,180 in 2019, with out-of-state competitor numbers increasing from 751 to 1,008. Feedback had suggested that the increase could be attributed to the decision to move the event to a Sunday and to change the route.

The Director pointed out that, whilst it was anticipated that the holding of the Marathon on a Sunday would reduce the level of disruption on the City’s road network, it was inevitable that a significant number of roads would be inaccessible, due to the need to comply with the Council-enforced road closure legislation. He added that Translink was examining currently its operational requirements for Glider and Metro services on the day of the Marathon and that there had, to date, been significant engagement with statutory and community organisations and with churches, businesses and residents located along the new Marathon route.   

The Committee noted the information which had been provided.

The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1        The purpose of the report is to:

·        update the Committee on the performance of the city markets, including St George’s Market and the Christmas Market at the City Hall;

·        set out priority areas of work for the coming year at St George’s Market; and

·        seek approval for a markets licence, as part of the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival (CQAF) in early May 2019.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is requested to:

                                               i.          note the performance of the Christmas Market, including the economic impact and contribution to the City;

                                             ii.          agree the priority areas of investment in St. George’s Market for the coming financial year; and

                                            iii.          approve the granting of a markets licence for a market to take place in St. Anne’s Cathedral on 2nd May 2019, as part of Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival.

3.0       Main Report

            Christmas Market

3.1       Members will be aware that the Christmas Market operates at the City Hall in the run-up to Christmas each year.  The market is operated by Market Place Europe (MPE).  As part of its contract with the Council, MPE is required to undertake an independent evaluation and economic impact of the market every two years.  The report for the Christmas 2018 market has just been presented to Council officers as part of the post-event review process. 

3.2       Members will also be aware that, as a one-off, the Christmas Market was extended to the upper part of Donegall Place.  This was due to the fire in the Primark building and the commitment by the Council and other partners to undertake an enhanced programme of animation and activity in the city centre in the run-up to the important Christmas trading period.  The additional stalls were offered to those businesses affected by the fire.

3.3       The evaluation and economic impact report was completed by an independent market research organisation.  It involved a survey of 400 individuals who had visited the market, as well as an online survey of market users and visitors to the city.  The survey covered a number of areas including:

·        levels of satisfaction with the market and opportunities for improvement

·        identification of how people were aware of the market – and what made them visit

·        an assessment of whether they would recommend the market to others

·        an understanding what other activities the market visitors had undertaken as part of their visit to the city

·        an assessment of whether visitors had used other city centre facilities as part of their visit to the city. 

3.4       The high level findings of the work include:

·        more than one million visitors came to the market over the six-week period.  The combined total expenditure for those attending was in the region of £87million.  This covers items such as accommodation (for out of state and non-Belfast residents); eating out, shopping and entertainment.  This does not just involve spend directly on the market but does illustrate the role  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.