Agenda and minutes

Apologies were reported on behalf of Aldermen McCoubrey and McKee.

The minutes of the meeting of 12th April were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 3rd May.

·        Councillor Newton declared an interest in respect of agenda item 3 (a), viz., Review of Pitch Allocation, as a member of a club which played in the Down Area Winter Football League;  

·        Alderman Rodgers and Councillor Copeland declared an interest in respect of agenda item 5 (a), viz., Grants – Events Grant Scheme, in that they were associated with the Lagan Village Youth and Community Group; and

·        Councillor Corr Johnston declared an interest in respect of agenda item 6 (a), viz., Cultural Celebrations Woodvale Park, in that she was associated with the organisation of this event.

The Committee agreed to invite representatives of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to a special meeting of the Committee, to which all Members would be invited, on 7th September 2016 at 4.30 p.m. to present the Belfast District Housing Plan and Local Housing Strategy 2016 -17.

The Committee agreed to invite representatives of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service to attend a special meeting of the Committee to provide information to the Members on the Northern Ireland Community Resuscitation Strategy and its implications for Belfast.

The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the Strategic Cemeteries and Crematorium Working Group.

The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 8th December 2015, it had agreed that a review of grass soccer pitch allocation through block booking would be undertaken. 

            The Assistant Director advised that an independent review had since been undertaken.  She reported that this had involved both desk based research and direct engagement with the clubs and leagues, as well as a benchmarking exercise with other neighbouring councils.  The Members were advised that the review had considered the current allocation arrangements, supply and demand, and existing management options and had presented the future recommendations to generally manage soccer pitch allocation (block bookings).  She added that it also had specifically considered how to manage requests for additional or new allocation from leagues or multiple requests for a specific site through the use of matrices. 

            The Assistant Director then drew the Members’ attention to the findings and recommendations of the review.

            Following a query from a Member, the Assistant Director confirmed that clubs had already been involved in negotiations but these had not been successful in reaching a satisfactory outcome which was why the independent review had been commissioned.  She added they would be meeting with the clubs again within the next few weeks, subject to the committee decision, in order to try and resolve the situation in advance of the next playing season, which was imminent.

            Detailed discussion ensued, during which the Assistant Director answered a number of queries in relation to the pitch allocation process, the reported under usage of grass pitches and the allocation of pitches which came under Partnership Agreements or Facility Management Agreements.

            Following consideration, the Committee agreed to defer consideration of the report on the review of pitch allocation to enable officers to attend the Party Group Briefings during May to provide a more detailed overview.

The Assistant Director advised the Members that the navigation buoys which were currently located at Cathedral Gardens had been gifted to the Council from the Commissioner for Irish Lights in the early 1980s, in recognition of the city being a sea port and its maritime history.  She reported that, as part of Department of Social Development (DSD) Streets Ahead Phase 3 project, concept designs had been produced for the Cathedral Gardens, the final concept designs had been agreed following the Transition Committee and the Council’s response to DSD in January 2015.   The officer outlined that the aim of the project for Cathedral Gardens was to create a predominately green/soft space to provide relief from the urban landscape.  She advised that, in order to progress the proposed Cathedral Gardens scheme, consideration now needed to be given to the future of the three navigations buoys and the potential relocation opportunities.

            The Members were advised that, upon investigation, the Commissioner’s office had been positive around a possible future relocation and had suggested possibly relocating them to the Titanic area of the city.

            The Committee noted the redevelopment plans for Cathedral Gardens, as part of wider DSD Belfast Streets Ahead Phase 3 public realm, and agreed to:

·        the relocation of the three large navigation buoys currently in Cathedral Gardens to Titanic Quarter area of the city, as suggested by the Commissioner for Irish Lights, subject to feasibility and affordability assessments; and

·        recommend to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee that the Council gift the buoys to the Titanic Foundation Ltd - a registered charity whose aim was to develop and promote Queen’s Island as an authentic maritime heritage destination and shared space for Belfast and Northern Ireland.

The Assistant Director reported that the occupiers of a property located at 15 Manse Road, which directly adjoined Council owned land at the Henry Jones Playing Fields, had contacted the Council with road safety concerns, as vehicles emerging from the driveway of number 15 were unable to see oncoming traffic, due to the line of vision being obscured by a fence and hedgerow fronting the Council owned Henry Jones Playing Field.

              Given the dangers as outlined by the occupiers of number 15 Manse Road in their correspondence, the Committee agreed to recommend to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee that it:

·        grant a licence to the occupier of No.15 Manse Road, Castlereagh, permitting works to realign a boundary fence, the removal of a hedgerow and the regrading of an embankment on Council-owned land directly adjoining the Henry Jones Playing Fields; and

·        also that they grant an easement to the occupier which would require the occupier to maintain an area of grassland to be reserved as a sightline serving the existing dwelling at No. 15 Manse Road.

The Director of City and Neighbourhood Services reminded the Members that arc21 was the collaborative partnership which procured and managed certain contracts on behalf of the six constituent councils and that it had been reconstituted last year, in accordance with the new boundaries arising from local government reform. 

            He continued that in line with these changes, arc21’s Standing Orders had been updated to reflect the new boundaries and these had been approved by the Joint Committee on 7th April.  He advised that there were no substantial changes to the original Standing Orders, therefore, it had been recommended by the Joint Committee that the updated Standing Orders would be presented to the constituent councils for approval.

            The Committee approved the revised Standing Order for the reconstituted arc21 and adopted the proposal to mainstream the new Newry, Mourne and Down District Council within the collaborative partnership.

            The Committee also noted that there would be an update on arc21 at the May Party Group Briefings.

The Committee considered a report in relation to a proposal seeking support for the delivery of a Forest School Award programme in parks. 

            A Member expressed concern that applications for funding were repeatedly being presented at Committee, rather than being progressed through the Central Grants Unit.

            The Assistant Director advised that the Northern Ireland School Forest Association (NIFSA) was a charitable organisation.  She reported that the award would encourage and inspire schools and organisations to become accredited Forest School Practitioners and that NIFSA were seeking the support from the 11 Local councils in the region, not just Belfast City Council.  She added that, in supporting this request, the Council would be supporting an established programme and whilst the Council had been asked to make a contribution of £8000, the actual value of the programme for Belfast was estimated to be over £15,000.  

            The Member stressed that this was about the process rather than the specific application, he continued that, whilst he understood that it was necessary for some applications to come to the Committee rather than through the central grants unit, he felt that it would be helpful if officers prepared annually for the Committee a report detailing the anticipated expenditure and potential budget requirements.

            Another Member sought clarification as to whether the other 10 councils had committed to the programme and also which schools were involved. 

            The Director of City and Neighbourhood Services confirmed that there was a review currently being undertaken in respect of funding stream requests as the Council were keen to rationalise and ensure that there was no duplication in the process.  He confirmed that this report would be tabled at the Committee in due course.

            Discussion ensued and, given that there were a number of outstanding queries in relation to the proposal, the Committee agreed to defer consideration of this application, pending the receipt of additional information and clarification as to why the request had not been submitted through the central grants unit.   

The Members noted that the comments raised in the previous minute in terms of the application process were also relevant to the Small Grant Scheme.

            The Committee noted the contents of a report which outlined the decisions taken by the Director of Finance and Resources, under delegated authority, regarding the Parks Events Small Grants applications received in Tranche 1 for events taking place in parks between 1st April and 30th September, 2016 (a copy of which was available on the Council’s website).

The Head of Environmental Health and Lead Operations Officer advised the Members that officers throughout the City and Neighbourhood Services Department often came into contact with people who might be at risk of a fire in their home (for example,  during home safety checks or housing inspections). 

            The officer provided the Members with an update on the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service home fire safety check service and outlined the mutual benefits to both organisations.  She concluded by detailing the overall objectives of the partnership agreement as follows:

·        to contribute to an overall reduction in the number of accidental fire deaths and fire related injuries in dwellings in Northern Ireland; and

·        to provide a free home safety check to every referral from the partnership agency, within 28 days from the date of the referral.

            The Committee agreed that the City and Neighbourhood Services Department sign up to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue – People at Risk Partnership Working Agreement.

The Assistant Director reminded the Members that Lagan Valley Regional Park (LVRP) was a partnership between Belfast City Council, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).  She advised that the Council had been one of its main partner funding organisations since its inception in 1967 and LVRP had supported and enhanced the work undertaken by the Council in countryside recreation, biodiversity, promotion and community engagement.

            The Members were advised that LVRP had submitted two funding application options for 2016/17 to NIEA for £43,000 and £51,000 respectively and that NIEA had offered them £10,000, which was more than 70% less than in 2015/16.  She reported that the Manager of LVRP would be appealing the NIEA’s decision, given the devastating impact that it would have.

            The Committee was advised that the Council currently provided £41,055 of funding to LVRP.  The Members noted that given the uncertainty of funding the Council now needed to consider the longer term viability of the partnership and officers advised that an assessment would be being carried out and a report would be brought back to a future meeting of the Committee.

            The Committee agreed:

1.     to forward a letter, on behalf of the Board of the Lagan Valley Regional Park (LVRP) to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), detailing the Council’s concern regarding the reduction in the NIEA’s funding to the LVRP of more than 70% for the financial year 2016/17; and

2.     to carry out an assessment in terms of the long term viability of the partnership and table a report at a future meeting of the Committee.  

The Committee was advised that the Department for Regional Development (DRD) had recently published ‘Northern Ireland Changing Gear: a Bicycle Strategy for Northern Ireland (2015)’.  The Assistant Director advised that this strategy emphasised the attractiveness of greenways (off road and traffic free routes) and reported that it was DRD’s intention to support local authorities in the development of greenways throughout Northern Ireland.  She continued that in order to progress the initiative DRD was preparing a Strategic Plan for Greenways, with the aim of developing an integrated system of greenways for the benefit of future generations.  The Members noted that DRD had appointed AECOM in association with Sustrans to undertake the development of the plan, in order to assist them in progressing the process they had sought the views of local authorities on the potential for greenways in their local area.

            The Assistant Director drew the Members’ attention to the draft response.  She reported that in summary the draft response proposed that the Council would support the creation of some greenways across the city, this would help the Council achieve some of its objectives in relation to active living and health and wellbeing as outlined in the Council’s key strategic documents, including the Draft Corporate Plan 2016/17 and the Belfast Active Travel Action Plan. 

            The Committee endorsed the draft response to the Department for Regional Development regarding the development of a Strategic Plan for Greenways, subject to full Council approval in June 2016.

The Assistant Director reminded the Committee that the Council had previously agreed that it would enter into an arrangement with Transport NI for the maintenance of the following sites:

·        Michael Ferguson roundabout, Stewartstown Road;

·        Kingsway Embankment, Dunmurry;

·        Knock dual carriageway; and

·        Top of Cregagh Road at Knock dual carriageway.

The Members noted that these locations were all under the ownership and responsibility of Transport NI, however, due to the financial constraints being faced by the Department for Regional Development (DRD) and Transport NI during 2015/16 and the reduced levels of maintenance the Council had agreed to provide support.  She confirmed that a legal agreement had been drawn up between Belfast City Council and Transport NI to facilitate this arrangement.

            A Member expressed concern at the continued lack of grass cutting throughout the City and requested that a letter be forwarded outlining the Council’s concern and requesting that this be addressed as a matter of urgency.  The Members also discussed the possibility of replacing some of the grass areas with wildflower meadows which would reduce the need for grass cutting. 

            The Committee noted the arrangements in place for the maintenance of the sites under ownership of Transport NI for the 2016/17 year and agreed that a letter be forwarded to the Head of Transport NI highlighting the Council’s concern at the lack of grass cutting taking place throughout the City.

            The Committee noted that the sowing of wildflower meadows was already being investigated as an option to replace some grass areas.

The Committee was advised that the Council had recently been approached by one of its contractors, River Ridge Recycling (RRR), which was seeking approval to temporarily use the Council’s Waste Transfer Station (WTS) in order to deposit general municipal waste whilst it carried out improvement works to its premises at Limestone Road and Duncrue Industrial Estate.

            The Head of Environmental Health and Lead Operations Officer advised that, upon receipt of the proposal, officers from the Waste Management Services had approached the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) which had confirmed that there would be no issue in terms of varying the site licence.  She reported further that,  based on the estimated tonnage, it was anticipated that the Council would receive in the region of £125,000 per annum, or pro rata, based on the actual tonnage received from RRR.

            The Committee approved the temporary use of the Waste Transfer Station for up to two years, with the potential of a further one year extension, by River Ridge Recycling, in return for a commercial gate fee and subject to the establishment of a Service Level Agreement. 

The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 9th November, 2015, it had agreed to identify the health and safety issues pertaining to Traveller sites across the City. 

            The Members were advised that officers had held a number of meetings with the NI Housing Executive (NIHE), APEX housing and Clanmill Housing Association with regard to identifying the internal procedures that were in place with regard to the management of their Traveller sites.

            The Community Development Manager reported that there were currently 3 Traveller sites in Belfast, namely: Glen Road, Glen Road Heights and Tinker’s Lane.  She advised that the Glen Road and Tinker’s Lane sites were owned by the Clanmill Housing Association and managed by the NIHE through a Service Level Agreement.

            The Members were advised that an agreement was in place whereby the NIHE were ultimately responsible for the management of the sites, which included any health and safety issues.  The Members noted that the service level agreement was currently under review and that the NIHE was working towards having a more effective structure in place to ensure the quality of life and the protection of residents living on their managed sites.

            In addition to this, the Members were advised that the NIHE had indicated that they would commence improvement works on the site located in the Glen Road Heights over the coming months.

            The officer concluded her update by advising that officers would continue to meet with the agencies involved on a quarterly basis.   

            The Committee noted the key successes to date in addressing Health and Safety issues in Traveller sites and the progress which had been made in adopting a programmed and interagency approach to Traveller work. 

The Committee approved the naming of Meadow Grove and Stratheden Avenue, and noted the realignment of Hillman Street and Stratheden Street.

            (Mr. I. Harper, Building Control Manager, attended in connection with this Item)

            The Committee were reminded that, at its meeting on 12th April, it had noted that officers would draft a response to the Department of the Environment’s consultation on Dilapidated and Dangerous Buildings and Neglected Sites and he drew Members’ attention to this response.

            The Committee endorsed the draft response to the Department of the Environment, relating to Dilapidated/Dangerous Structures and Neglected Sites and agreed that it should be submitted by the required deadline of 30th June 2016.

The Committee was advised that correspondence had been received from the Food Standards Agency (FSANI) seeking views and comments from stakeholders on the draft Food Hygiene Rating (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2016, the draft Food Hygiene (Fee and Fixed Penalty Amount) Order (Northern Ireland) 2016, the draft Food Hygiene Rating (Commencement and Transitional Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2016 and the potential impact on food businesses and district councils.  It was also seeking views and comments on guidance for district councils on the operation of the new statutory scheme. 

            The Head of Environmental Health and Lead Operations Officer advised that the full consultation pack could be found at http://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/consultation/pack/fhrs-consult-pack2016ni.pdf  and she drew the Members’ attention to the draft response that had been prepared. 

            The Committee endorsed the draft response to the Food Standard Agency, relating to the Impact of Mandatory Display of Food Hygiene Rating in Northern Ireland and agreed that it should be submitted by the required deadline of 10th June 2016.

The Assistant Director advised that a request had been received from the Woodvale and Cambrai Youth and Community Association for use of the Woodvale Park from 6th to 11th July to hold a week long programme of cultural celebrations.  She reported that the group had previously been an active participant on the bonfire programme for a number of years and in 2007 it had been involved in the design of the bonfire beacon as an alternative to the traditional 11th July bonfire. 

            During discussion, several Members again highlighted the need to encourage organisations to apply for funding through the Central Grants Unit rather than submitting their requests directly via the People and Communities Committee.  They continued to stress that, whilst they had no specific objection to this or the other similar applications that had been presented to the Committee in recent months, this was an ongoing problem which needed to be addressed in order to ensure that all requests for funding were processed in the same manner.

             Following discussion:

1.     It was agreed that a report would be submitted to a future meeting on the plan to encourage organisations to apply for funding through the Central Grants Unit; and   

2.     The Committee granted the Woodvale and Cambrai Youth and Community Association use of the Woodvale Park from 6th to 11th July to hold a week long programme of cultural celebrations and agreed also to provide financial assistance of £3000 to support the event, subject to satisfactory terms being agreed with the Director of City and Neighbourhood Services and on condition that:

·        the event organiser ensures that all health and safety requirements are met to the Council’s satisfaction, including an event management plan, risk assessments and public liability insurance; and

·        the event organisers meet all statutory requirements, including entertainments licensing.

            The Committee granted authority for the Chairperson, the Deputy Chairperson, together with the Assistant Director of Parks and Leisure (or nominees) to attend the following event:

·        the Glasgow Rose Trials on 18th – 19th August.

            The Committee granted authority for the Chairperson, the Deputy Chairperson, together with the Assistant Director of Parks and Leisure (or nominees) to attend the following event:

·        International Cremation and Burial Conference and Exhibition in Stratford-upon-Avon from 4th - 6th July.

            The Committee granted authority for the Chairperson, the Deputy Chairperson, together with the Assistant Director of Parks and Leisure (or nominees) to attend the following event:

·        Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management Learning Convention and Exhibition in Oxfordshire from 31st October – 2nd November.

The Committee granted authority for two team members, along with the Chairperson (or nominees), to attend the Awards for Excellence and the National Recycling Awards Ceremonies on 19th May and 6th July respectively.

(Councillor Craig attended in connection with this item)

The Committee agreed that officers would prepare a report, for a future meeting of the Committee, on the current situation in respect of the Council’s Bye-Laws which prohibit the consumption of alcohol on the city’s streets and give consideration as to whether this legislation could be updated.

It was agreed that officers would prepare update reports for a future meeting of the Committee in respect of the following matters:

1.     IFA:

·        youth strategy; and

·        women’s under 19s championships

2.     Suicide Awareness. 

            The information contained in the appendix which was attached to this report is restricted in accordance with Part 1 of Schedule 6 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To seek approval to proceed with delivery of Sport NI’s new investment programme called Everybody Active 2020 (EBA).

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       Committee is asked to:

·        Authorise the Director to finalise contracts, with advice from the Town Solicitor, with Sport NI and commence delivery of the Everybody Active 2020 programme immediately, as set out below;

·        Authorise officers, in the event that efficiencies can be found during programme delivery, to use the assessment matrix as a ranked call off list to enhance delivery on a rolling basis over the next four years.

3.0       Main report

            Sport NI programme

3.1       People and Communities Committee on 9 February 2016 agreed to accept an offer of £1,568,239 for delivery of the Everybody Active 2020 (EBA) programme over four years to end in March 2020, and recommended that officers commission a blend of providers in specific sports and activities through a public process.

3.2       Sport NI’s allocation model for EBA is weighted on a range of measures including population and deprivation, with the result that Belfast City Council’s programme comprises approximately 25% of the budget and targets.

3.3       Delays in commencing EBA in Belfast may hamper achievement of EBA’s overall targets across NI, as well as reducing the impact of the programme on physical activity levels amongst the target populations locally. In order to maintain momentum, officers have been liaising with Sport NI to clarify Sport NI’s expectation of the outcomes from Belfast’s EBA plan and how these outcomes support the Belfast Agenda and the City Council’s physical activity and health priorities over the term of EBA.

3.4       Following approval of the delivery partners, officers will work with Sport NI to proceed to implementation by the end of July, whilst concurrently drafting contracts for preferred partners to expedite commencement of the EBA programme and maximise delivery in neighbourhoods. The target is to have all programmes being delivered in September.

            Indicative Budget Allocation

3.5       Re-profiling of the budget allows for start up costs aligned to all programmes commencing in September 2016.

I

3.6       Indicative Participation Targets

SeSelection of delivery partners

3.7       Following approval from Committee in February 2016 expressions of interest were sought through public notices in print media, City Council website, NI Sports Forum mailings and supported by high levels of exposure through Council social media channels. Council received 44 expressions of interest from a range of sports governing bodies, charities, community organisations and commercial providers. Assessment criteria were agreed in advance and application packs were sent to each organisation. 19 organisations returned applications seeking funding for a total of 25 programmes.

3.8       Leisure Development Unit administered the application process, including receipt and log of applications, eligibility check and preparation and supply of assessment packs for scoring against set  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13a