Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported on behalf of Councillors Howard, T. Kelly and McLaughlin.

Councillors Beattie, Lyons and O’Hara declared an interest in relation to item 3(b) UKRI Strength in Places Funding, in that they were members of the Belfast Harbour Commissioners

            The Committee agreed to receive a written presentation from Translink in relation to the Central Area Track Renewal project, in the first instance, with a follow-up presentation at a future remote meeting, if necessary.

            The Committee was reminded that Belfast Castle and Malone House were currently closed as a result of Covid 19 regulations and all staff had been furloughed with the exception of the operations managers for each building who returned to working part time hours from 6th July in order to manage customer enquiries and bookings.

            The Neighbourhood Services Manager (East) advised that management had reviewed the diary bookings for use of the two venues. She explained that officers had considered a range of options for the reopening of Belfast Castle and Malone House taking into account the number of staff currently on furlough, the small number of diary bookings which could be honoured either on grounds of capacity or as a result of the embargo on conference events, the impact of wedding cancellations on the customer and the resulting financial modelling. She concluded that the full reopening of the buildings at this time for normal business was not financially viable.

            In liaison with the catering provider, French Village, Neighbourhood Services Manager recommended that a phased reopening of both venues for pre-existing bookings for weddings and catering and to accommodate new permissible bookings focusing on Friday, Saturday and Sundays only, during September and October 2020, and were currently working with the catering provider to put in place a new retail offering in the current context.

            She explained that, to ensure the protection of both staff and customers, each venue would have significant Covid-19 Health and Safety measures in place. There would be changes to the numbers of people that can be accommodated in each venue and staff would engage with customers over the coming weeks to support customer understanding of the impact of the Covid risk assessment on their event planning. She confirmed that health and safety measures would be implemented, which included essential signage, one way systems established where necessary, hand sanitising stations, deep cleaning and other necessary arrangements.

            She informed the Committee that the situation would be kept under review as circumstances of furlough and NI Executive restrictions on events and gatherings change and it was anticipated that the reopening of the venues would increase the overall deficit by £100k approximately depending on the uptake of new bookings and the success of the retail offering.

            The Committee noted the contents of the report and the reopening plan for Belfast Castle and Malone House from 1st September, 2020 on a phased basis, subject to business demand.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to provide an update to Members on a successful collaborative bid by the Belfast Maritime Consortium which has been awarded £33m from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under their ‘Strength in Places’ funding initiative. The report seeks approval for Belfast City Council to formally engage in the consortium to bring the project to fruition.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·         Note the work undertaken to date as part of the Belfast Maritime Consortium to secure £33m from UKRI’s Strength in Places Funding and the potential impact the project will have in the Belfast City Council area

·         Note Belfast City Council’s engagement on the project to date as part of the consortium and agree to the commitment required to support the delivery of the project to bring it to fruition. 

3.0       Main report

3.1       UK Research and Innovation’s Strength in Places Fund is a competitive funding scheme that takes a place-based approach to research and innovation funding to support significant regional growth.  It works in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government to create the best possible environment for research and innovation to flourish.  Since 2017, Belfast City Council has been engaging with Artemis Technologies on their work to bring forward a funding proposal to UKRI.  This support has included providing a letter of support for a NI consortium bid (Belfast Maritime Consortium) to develop zero emission maritime transport in Belfast.

3.2       The Belfast Maritime Consortium, which is led by Artemis Technologies (ATL), consists of a number of industry, academia and local government members including Bombardier, Stena Line, Harland and Wolff, Belfast Harbour, Creative Composites, Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University, NIACE, Belfast Metropolitan College, Belfast City Council, Ards and North Down Borough Council, Catalyst Inc and Invest NI.

3.3       The project has successfully secured £33m from UKRI for development and delivery work over the next 4 years.  It aims to exploit and develop Belfast’s expertise in advanced composites to help reinvigorate past maritime leadership in innovative shipbuilding technologies.  It will develop an education programme and a route to highly skilled jobs in the Belfast area and will enhance Belfast’s environmental credentials with developing niche specialisms in zero carbon maritime transport.  The project will ultimately deliver a new class of zero emission maritime transport vessel design and build capability that has numerous commercial applications.  All of this work will combine to establish, in Belfast, a world class maritime capability and deliver a high value product for export.

3.4       The Belfast Maritime Consortium will work with the local supply chain to produce the world's first autonomously controlled 'fully submerged' electric hydrofoiling vessel, and develop the technical and operational requirements for a maritime transport system of the future.  The project will not only create new commercial opportunities, but also help tackle major environmental challenges in line with wider government policy, which calls for all new vessels to be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1          At a meeting of City Growth and Regeneration Committee in April 2020 the work programme to support tourism development was agreed. Given the current circumstances and the specific ongoing challenges for tourism, the purpose of this report is to update Members on:

-          The current status of the work programme relating to tourism development in the city.

-     The early forecast relating to the short, medium and longer term impacts of Covid-19 on tourism.

-          The initial response and emerging priorities to help stabilise and grow tourism in the city.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

-     Note the contents of this report and the contribution that the work programme for 2020/21 will make to supporting the recovery of the tourism sector.

-          Approve the development of a ten year tourism plan for Belfast and agree to receive a draft of this plan in November 2020.  

-     Approve participation in the Global Destination Sustainability Index led by Council in partnership with Visit Belfast.

3.0       Main report

3.1       Members will be aware that at a meeting of City Growth and Regeneration Committee in August 2019 the new ten year cultural strategy for Belfast, A City Imagining 2020-30 was agreed. This was further supported by implementation plans for the period 2020-23 and a work programme for 2020-21. Included in each of these documents was a series of priority actions relating to tourism support and development. The intention was that this would be developed out into a specific tourism action plan. It is now necessary to re-examine these priorities in light of Covid-19.

Tourism Growth  Pre Covid-19

3.2       In August 2019 Belfast City Council agreed a new ten year cultural strategy, A City Imagining 2020-2030, to drive transformation in the city. For the first time, the scope of this strategy brought together under one compelling vision a number of areas including tourism, culture, heritage, arts, events and festivals.

3.3       A City Imagining acknowledges that whilst Belfast has enjoyed relative growth in tourism over recent years that in turn has supported regional development, it is necessary for the city to push the development of tourism on to the next level. Belfast’s first community plan, the Belfast Agenda, also articulates the importance of delivering a culturally vibrant city both for residents and visitors as well as acting as an attractive driver for inward investment. It is anticipated that citywide investment in a culturally vibrant place will support changing perspectives of Belfast as a place to visit, live, work and invest. In order to continue to build on the value of out-of-state tourism and welcome more overnight stays in our visitor accommodation it is essential that we collaborate with our tourism sector to evolve, broaden, deepen and expand the tourism offer currently available in Belfast.

3.4       Despite significant growth and the success of flagship projects such as Titanic Belfast there is still a gap in scale  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

            The Committee was provided with an update on the recent establishment of a working group to support economic recovery, involving partners from all councils, and to set out the high level work programme for the group.

            The Senior Manager – Economy advised that, as part of the local government response to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly its impact on local economies, SOLACE had agreed to establish a number of working groups to take forward collaborative thinking and actions on areas of mutual and collective interest.

            She pointed out that two working groups would be established to focus on distinct areas of work: Council Recovery (internal) and Regional Recovery (external). She highlighted that the Regional Recovery working group would be chaired by Mrs. S. Wylie, and comprises economic development representatives from across the 11 Councils.

The Senior Manager explained that the purpose of the group and the work that it would undertake was to:

·         Build an understanding of the scale of the recovery challenge in local council areas across Northern Ireland as well as the impact of global economic changes, including the impact of the EU’s exit from the European Union;

·         Identify a series of key short, medium and long term interventions that could contribute to economic and social recovery, thereby stabilising local economies and building local resilience;

·         Act as a conduit for engagement with relevant statutory agencies and key decision makers within relevant government departments in order to ensure a collaborative approach to working and to secure additional support for relevant interventions;

·         Further the position of local government as a key delivery partner and support the ongoing dialogue around further devolution of powers to local level and the need for place-based responses to support inclusive and sustainable economic growth; and

·         Position Local Government as a key player in co-design of a new economic strategy for NI where placed based approaches and sub-regional economies were recognised.

            She informed the Committee that, since its establishment in May 2020, the group had met on a number of occasions and the work to date had focused on a number of key issues including:

·         Sharing information on town and city centre re-opening and recovery plans;

·         Identifying key tactical and strategic engagement opportunities to ensure that local government was represented in and able to influence significant investment decisions relating to economic recovery; and

·         Engaging with Invest NI to explore opportunities for accessing additional ERDF resources to support business recovery.

            She explained that some of the emerging priority areas of work included securing council-level input into regional recovery plans, leveraging access to additional government resources to support recovery work and building a case to argue for additional ED and regeneration powers for councils – with associated core funding models (evolving from the City Deal approach).

She confirmed that as these work packages emerge, officers would report back to the Committee as appropriate, identifying the specific impact and opportunity for the Council.

            The Committee noted:

·         the establishment of the SOLACE District/Regional Recovery Group; and

·         the key areas  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1          The purpose of the report is to:

-         Advise Members on the pending review of the Future City Centre Programme in light of the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

-         Update Members on the progression of a number of key projects within the ‘Physical Regeneration and Environmental Improvements’ work stream of the Future City Programme.

-         Note that scheme design options are being developed for the Frederick St /York St junction,

-         Update Members in relation to the adoption of the Inner North West Masterplan.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       Members are requested to:

                                  i.        Note that the Future City Centre Programme is being reviewed in light of the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the economy, businesses and the City Centre,

                                 ii.        Note the progress of key projects within the ‘Physical Regeneration and Environmental Improvements’ work stream of the Future City Centre Programme, notably the Entries and Lanes Initiative; the Public Realm Catalyst Projects; the pop-up park at Cathedral Gardens, and pilot lighting projects developed alongside the emerging Lighting Strategy for Belfast.

                               iii.        Note the development of design options, in collaboration with DfC and DfI, for the Frederick St /York St junction and adjacent streets, with proposals to be brought to a future meeting of this Committee.

                               iv.        Note that the DfC Minister has approved the adoption of the Inner North West Masterplan.

3.0       Main report

3.1       Background

            At the City Growth and Regeneration Committee in February 2020, Members received the Executive Summary of the Belfast City Centre Retail Analysis as developed by Pragma Consulting Limited. The Retail Analysis identified the challenges facing Belfast’s retail sector and provided recommendations on how best to address these challenges to ensure the City offers a dynamic and experiential destination.

3.2       At the same meeting, Members were also informed of the emerging ‘Future City Centre Programme’ (FCC), which builds on the key findings and recommendations outlined in the Pragma report. The FCC Programme has been developed in line with the Belfast Agenda, the Local Development Plan, the Inclusive Growth Strategy and the Cultural Strategy (A City Imagining), and has been informed by the Belfast City Centre Regeneration and Investment Strategy. 

3.3       While many of the priorities set out in the February report remain valid, there is a need to recast the focus of the Programme in the context of COVID-19 and the significant adverse impact on the City Centre.  It is difficult to predict the future trends and challenges that will be faced as the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the City Centre emerges but it is critical that the FCC Programme remains agile in order to respond to rapidly shifting local, national and international factors that will continue to shape the role and performance of the City Centre.

3.4       As previously reported to Committee, within the current FCC Programme, the key areas of work fall into five priority pillars and with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

            The Committee considered a report which provided an update on the current status of the ‘Bolder Vision Connectivity Study for Belfast’, together with an update on the York St Interchange review and proposals for a framework for community consultation on planning decisions.

A Bolder Vision for Belfast

            The Director of City Regeneration and Development reminded the Committee that in August 2019, Council, the Department for Communities (DfC) and the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) agreed to jointly commission a three-phased City Centre Connectivity Study, a ‘Bolder Vision for Belfast’.

            She advised that Phase 1 had been completed and ‘A Bolder Vision for Belfast’ was ratified by Council in March 2020. In June 2020 the Committee had noted that the Ministers for DfI and DfC had been asked to endorse the Bolder Vision and commit to progressing the future phases and seek to embed the Framework in the Programme for Government.

            She informed the Committee that, for the next phases, the intention was to develop an action plan to outline scenarios, projects and delivery options based on the Future Vision. This would be used to inform further discussion with key civic partners, businesses, communities, Third Sector organisations, interest groups, statutory authorities and city leaders.

            She recommended that the Committee noted that the Bolder Vision for Belfast had now been formally endorsed by both the Ministers for DfC and DfI, along with a commitment to working together collaboratively to consult widely with the public and other stakeholders to agree on a final Vision which would help guide future infrastructure investment decisions. She highlighted that it was proposed to formally launch the Vision jointly with DfI and DfC in the near future and discussions were ongoing with DfI and DfC in terms of progressing with the next phases.

            She reported that, as the City begins its recovery post-Covid, and with the challenges that would remain in the coming months, there was renewed emphasis on how we use our City Centre spaces safely, whilst also promoting active travel. Some of the interventions coming forward to help address these challenges align with the ethos of the Bolder Vision and there was an opportunity to build on these, subject to stakeholder support and resources.

York St Interchange

            The Director of City Regeneration and Development advised that the DfI Minister had announced that an external review would take place to future proof the York Street Interchange Project in advance of moving to the procurement phase of the project through discussions with specialists and stakeholders. She recommended that the Chairman of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee formally writes to the Minister to welcome the proposed review, and to offer an opportunity for the Committee to engage with the process during the external review.

Ulster University Partnership Project

            The Director of City Regeneration and Development reported that Ulster University had been selected to be a part of the UK wide Connecting Communities for Quality of Life Project, which would develop a framework for community consultation on planning decisions,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1          Belfast City Council is invited to administer the Department for Communities’ (DfC) Access and Inclusion Programme 2020/21 on behalf of Belfast based arts, cultural and active recreation venues. This Programme supports small-scale capital investments of up to £30,000 and aims to improve access to arts and cultural activities and active recreation facilities, by people with disabilities. Council departments can also apply to this Programme.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is requested to:

·         Agree to Council’s role in promoting, assessing and managing DfC’s Access and Inclusion Programme 2020/21 and supporting organisations and Council departments to access the funding.

3.0       Main report

            Key Issues

3.1       Department for Communities are inviting all local councils to administer their Access and Inclusion Programme 2020/21 within their respective local council areas.

            The Council managed the 18/19 and 19/20 Access and Inclusion Programme within Belfast and received support for 24 projects with total value of £412,554, of which five were Council projects. These have included improved access to City Hall and the Tropical Ravine, and specialised playground facilities.

            DfC will formally launch the programme as a competitive process on 3 August 2020 with a closing date of Friday 11th September 2020. 

3.2       The Department for Communities’ Access and Inclusion Programme aims to:

                                  i.        Improve access to arts, culture and active recreation venues across NI for people with disabilities;

                                 ii.        Make arts, cultural and active recreation venues more inclusive across society;

                               iii.        Increase participation in arts, culture and active recreation activities by people with disabilities.

3.3       Council owned venues and facilities are eligible to apply for support as well as relevant independent organisations.  The Council oversees the assessment and recommendation of projects via an open call, and is responsible for delivery of all projects in receipt of funding.

            Active recreation projects can include public walkways, cycle paths, forest trails, children’s playparks and similar outdoor recreation sites.  The programme is not designed to support the development of sports grounds, but where sports grounds can demonstrate that an application to develop infrastructure is aimed at increasing participation in active recreation by people with a disability, it may be considered. 

3.4       Capital works and equipment costs are eligible under this programme but funding will not be provided to part fund larger projects. Applicants must confirm that projects will complete on or before 31 March 2021.

3.5       Financial and Resource Implications

            Council funding is not a requirement this year but DfC has indicated that a contribution from Council will be required in order to participate in the Programme in future years.

            TCHA unit have experienced staff resources available to oversee this Programme.

3.6       Equality or Good Relations Implications/

            Rural Needs Assessment

            TCHA will work closely with the Council’s Equality Unit and DfC to ensure positive equality implications which is the central component of the Programme.

            There are no rural needs or good relations implications.”

            The Committee agreed to the Council’s role in promoting, assessing and managing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

Councillor O’Hara provided an update in relation to his engagement with Belfast Pride and their bid to host EuroPride in 2023.

During discussion, Members raised concerns in relation to communication issues they had experienced with Belfast Pride, together with the potential for capacity building and support for the Bid.

After discussion, the Committee agreed to invite Belfast Pride to its meeting in September to discuss the EuroPride bid.

The Committee also noted that an update report would be submitted to a future Committee in relation to funding opportunities for culture and arts in addition to cultural multi annual grants (CMAG). 

Councillor O’Hara provided an update in relation to his engagement with Belfast Pride and their bid to host EuroPride in 2023.

During discussion, Members raised concerns in relation to communication issues they had experienced with Belfast Pride, together with the potential for capacity building and support for the Bid.

After discussion, the Committee agreed to invite Belfast Pride to its meeting in September to discuss the EuroPride bid.

The Committee also noted that an update report would be submitted to a future Committee in relation to funding opportunities for culture and arts in addition to cultural multi annual grants (CMAG).