Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Councillors Kyle, Mhic Giolla Mhín and O’Reilly.

(Oral report of Community Services Manager)

            (Mr. T. Husbands, Head of City Events and Venues and Interim Co-Director of Development, and Ms. C. Taggart, Community Services Manager, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Community Services Manager reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 11th November, it had considered a report regarding the Department for Social Development’s plan had for the future of modern advice services in Northern Ireland, based on a model of local commissioning arrangements led by the Council and supported by the Department which operated within an agreed framework of quality standards.  Members had been concerned that the proposal had not been sufficiently thought through, would adversely affect the successful consortia arrangement which was operating currently in Belfast and would result in large gaps in provision in parts of the City.  Accordingly, having been advised that responses were required to be submitted by 27th November, the Committee had requested officers to ascertain whether the Department for Social Development would be prepared to extend the deadline for submissions and that the matter be discussed further at today’s special meeting.

            The Community Services Manager informed the Committee that the Department for Social Development had agreed to extend the date for the submission of responses until 18th December.  Accordingly, she recommended that briefings be held for those Political Parties which requested them, which would enable a further report and draft response to be submitted to the Committee at its meeting on 9th December.

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 16th September, it had agreed to invite representatives from Westfield Shoppingtowns Limited and William Ewart Properties Limited to a special meeting in order to receive updates from both companies regarding their proposals to respectively extend Castlecourt and to construct Royal Exchange.  The Committee was informed that deputations from both companies were in attendance and agreed to receive in the first instance the representatives from Westfield, followed by those from Ewarts.

            The Committee was reminded further that, at its meeting on 16th September, it had also agreed to seek a meeting with the Minister for Social Development to discuss the Royal Exchange scheme and to request information regarding the engagement which officials within her Department had had with Ewarts since 27th October, 2008 when the Committee had agreed to oppose to the Department’s Retail Sequencing Policy and had requested that the Department adopt a position whereby, if Ewarts failed to submit its planning application for the Royal Exchange Scheme within nine months, Westfield would be permitted to commence its scheme at Castlecourt.

            The Chairman informed the Committee that, to date, only a holding letter had been received from the Minister indicating that she was due to take decisions on a related matter within the next few weeks and that no date for the meeting had been set.

Castlecourt Scheme

            Messrs. Robin Guthrie, Paul McMahon and Billy Pinkerton, representing Westfield Shoppingtowns Limited, were admitted to the meeting and welcomed by the Chairman.

            Mr. McMahon informed the Committee that Westfield Shoppingtowns Limited, having acquired Castlecourt in 2000, had undertaken a refurbishment in 2004 at a cost of £9 million and was in the process of undertaking a further £500,000 investment within the shopping mall.

            He stated that, as Westfield was keen to develop in the North West Quarter of the City when the time was right, it was unable currently to do so due to the Department for Social Development’s Retail Sequencing Policy for Belfast.  The Company found this frustrating since that area of the City required development.

            In response to Members’ questions, Mr. McMahon indicated that:

(i)   the Retail Sequencing Policy was slowing down Belfast’s development and that the removal of the Policy would not result in a free-for-all, but rather provide for an open market situation;

(ii)  Westfield had withdrawn its planning application for the extension of Castlecourt and intended to submit new plans for a mixed-use scheme.  However, the retail and residential mix to be proposed would depend on what the market could bear at the time the application was submitted;

(iii)retailers which did not operate in Belfast at the moment were keen to open shops in Castlecourt but Westfield was not in a position to offer them any units and a number of existing retailers wishing to expand were unable to do so due to the lack of space; and

(iv)it would take several years to secure the land for, and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.