Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Councillors McCausland and Stoker.

            The minutes of the meetings of 9th and 21st June 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 July, subject to:

(i)   the omission of the minute of 9th June under the heading “Christmas Lights Switch-on 2010” which, at the request of Councillor J. Rodgers, was taken back for further consideration and to enable representatives of the Belfast City Centre Management to address the Committee; and

(ii)  the amendment of the minute of the meeting of 9th June under the heading “Benview Community Centre: Pre-School Provision” to provide that a pilot Play Club be introduced at the Benview Community Centre and the scheme be extended during the same period to the Olympia and Whitrerock Play Centres.

To consider further the minute of the meeting of 9^th June which, at the request of Councillor J. Rodgers, was taken back for further consideration to enable representatives of the Belfast City Centre Management to address the Committee

            The Committee considered further the undernoted minute of the meeting of 9th June:

      “The Committee was reminded that the Council over the previous twenty-five years had developed the annual Christmas Lights Switch-on event.  The event had originally involved a number of school choirs and had taken place in the middle of November, with a small audience in attendance.  However, it was now an extremely popular event, with last year’s audience having been estimated at 8,000, and involved a range of high profile national and local celebrities.

      The Head of City Events and Venues reported that correspondence had been received from Belfast City Centre Management, which was supported by the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, requesting that the Council give consideration to moving the day of the event from a Tuesday evening to a Saturday evening in 2010.

      After discussion, the Committee agreed, due to the success experienced by holding the event in mid-week and the potential disruption which could be caused by hosting the event on a Saturday, not to accede to the request and accordingly agreed that the event continue to take place on a Tuesday evening.”

            It was reported the Messrs. A. Irvine, N. Main and P. McMahon were in attendance and they were admitted to the meeting and welcomed by the Chairman.

            Mr. Main indicated that there were a number of reasons why the City centre traders wished to have the Christmas Lights Switch-on changed to a Saturday.  He outlined the current trading trends within the City centre and the effect of the recession, with some businesses experiencing a downturn of up to 25%, which was not being helped by the construction works associated with the Streets Ahead Project.

            He explained that, whilst he understood the importance of the switch-on to both the Council and local traders, only a small amount of business was conducted on that evening and that, together with the trouble which had occurred in the City over the previous two years, this had resulted in a number of traders, including Castlecourt, closing on that evening.  He indicated that, if the event was moved to a Saturday, some traders, such as the Victoria Square, had offered to provide funding to provide family entertainment in the afternoon and that this, in conjunction with an earlier time for the switch-on, could help create an all-day family event.  An earlier switch-on time would also allow those attending, at the conclusion of the event, to visit other venues such as cinemas.  He stated that the Police Service of Northern Ireland had indicated that it would be content with the change to a Saturday.

            In an answer to a number of questions, Mr. Main stated that both the Belfast Business Forum and the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce Executive Council had discussed the issue and both were in agreement that the event should be switched to a Saturday.  Mr. Irvine explained that the Police Service had indicated that a Saturday evening event would provide no  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      Members will be aware that, since 2008, match funding has been provided by Council for four European Social Fund (ESF) projects.  ESF projects have a three year duration and match funding for the projects must be re-confirmed each year.  At the December 2009 meeting of Development Committee, Members agreed that funding would not be provided for year 3 of the projects.  However the HARTE (Hospitality and Retail Training for Employment) project which was submitted by the Council for ESF funding continues and is still producing positive employment outcomes. 

      A second call for projects under ESF is expected to take place in late September 2010.  In anticipation of this, it is proposed that Members take an agreed approach to match-funding potential projects under this funding stream, in order to maximise the impact of the interventions supported.  A proposed approach is outlined below.

      Members will also be aware that, in early 2009, approval was given by the Development Committee to work with key partners on the development of an agreed employability and skills agenda for the city in order to maximise the impact of our intervention in this field.  Since then, a range of meetings have taken place and a draft Belfast Skills and Employment Strategy was presented to the Development Committee in April 2010.  In order to allow more detailed discussion on the content, Members requested that a series of party briefings be undertaken.  These briefings were concluded in June 2010. 

      DEL is a key partner in this process and has remained supportive of developing a collaborative approach to employability and skills in the city.  The department has recently produced its skills strategy for consultation – Success through Skills 2: the Skills Strategy for Northern Ireland.  They have indicated the importance is ensuring congruence with the key themes of this strategy for any collaborative projects.  A draft BelfastCity Council response to this skills strategy is attached for Members’ endorsement.

Key Issues

      European Social Fund projects

      A call for projects under Priority 1 of the European Social Fund (ESF) – Helping people into sustainable employment – will be launched in September 2010 and will close in November.  Successful projects will run for a three year period from April 2011. 

      ESF projects are 40% funded through EU Structural Funds and 25% supported through the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL).  Project promoters are expected to identify a match funder from the public sector to provide the 35% to complete the project expenditure.  At application stage, details of the potential match funder are required, although there is no compulsion on the project promoter to show any evidence of engagement at this stage. 

      Under the last round of funding, 73 projects were successful in drawing down funding.  Of these, 35 were focused on working within the Belfast area.  Four of these 35 projects received match-funding from BelfastCity Council for two years at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report which provided an update of the most recent work of the European Union Unit:

“Relevant Background Information

      Members will be aware that the EU unit provides regular updates in relation to current or future activity.  This report comprises an update on two items:

1.   Attendance at the annual Brussels Open Days event

2.   Participation in the Committee of the Regions EU Cohesion Policy Monitoring Platform

Key Issues

      1.   Attendance at the annual Brussels Open Days event

      2010 marks the eighth year that the European Commission in partnership with the Committee of the Regions and cities across Europe host the EU Open Days event.  This event held throughout Brussels from 4 – 7 October is structured around 100 seminars providing emerging EU policies and funding opportunities.  Many of the 200 plus regional offices based in Brussels including the NI Executive Office host thematic workshops and showcase their strengths.  The most topical EU policy under development currently is the new cohesion policy which will shape EU structural funds from 2014 onwards.  This policy will be presented and discussed along with future opportunities for cities and regions.

      For several years Belfast City Council and its stakeholders have participated in the Open Days and also hosted events in the official programme.  For 2010 BCC has the opportunity to participate in a number of ways.

      Quartiers En Crise Urban Panel:

      Although BCC has withdrawn as member of this network since the AGM in June 2010, the city is legally obliged to see out the 2010 work commitments.

      Until June of this year, BCC held the role of Treasurer of the QEC network and during our time as Treasurer an application was made to the Committee of the Regions to host an event as part of the Open Days week in October.  The application was successful and as Belfast was a named partner we have been asked to fulfil our commitment to the event.  The event theme is:

      ‘Agenda 2020: A New Paradigm For Local Urban Development.’

      Our commitment to the event requires a BCC representative taking part in a panel discussion with the mayors of other cities such as Turin, Gothenburg and Prague, senior Commission officials such as Dirk Ahner from DG Regio and MEPs.  It is recommended that the Chair of the Development Committee represent the city at this event and take part in the panel discussion.

      As such BCC will co-host the event in the NI Executive Office on 7 October 2010 along with the city of Turin and high level representatives from the EU Commission and EU Parliament.  ‘Agenda 2020: A New Paradigm For Local Urban Development’, will reflect on the lessons emerging from the last 20 years of EU urban policy and feed into the current debate that DG Regio has launched in relation to the urban dimension and funding opportunities in future cohesion policy.

      As Chair of Development, Councillor Conor Maskey has been invited  to present Belfast City Council’s  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

            Several Members expressed concern in relation to a number of issues contained within the Memorandum of Understanding, particularly in relation to the perceived lack of consultation with the public.  The view was expressed also that representatives of the Titanic Watch and the Titanic Quarter Limited should be invited to a future meeting to address any concerns of the Members.

            It was suggested that the aforementioned matters could be incorporated into the bi-annual meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee which it had been agreed would be held to discuss the overall Titanic Signature Project, the next meeting of which was due to be held in September.

            Accordingly, the Committee agreed to defer consideration of the report and agreed that all the issues outlined should be referred to the special meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee which would be held in September to discuss issues around the Titanic Signature Project.

            The Community Development Manager reported that the Constitution for Community Centre Committees allowed for appointees of the Council to those groups “from time to time, as appropriate, with at least one of those being a Member of the Development Committee”.  She reported that a number of nominations had been received for appointment to several of the Committees.

            The Committee approved the nomination of the following Members to Community and Play Centre Committees:

·         Councillor Kingston to the Hammer Community Centre Committee;

·         Councillor Kyle to the Avoniel Play Centre Committee;

·         Councillor L. Patterson to the Duncairn Community Centre Committee; and

·         Councillor F. Rodgers to the Concorde Community Centre Committee.

            The Committee was reminded that there were a number of exciting Maritime developments underway, including the construction of the Titanic Signature Project, which was scheduled to open by April, 2012, the restoration of the Nomadic and the opening of the barge “Confiance” as an interpretative centre in early September by the charity Lagan Legacy.  There were also a number of significant tourism initiatives which were making Belfast’s Titanic and wider Maritime heritage more accessible to visitors.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives stated that the Council, in partnership with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and the Department for Social Development, had commissioned a study to map current assets and provision in the area of Maritime and Titanic heritage, but to look also at possible future developments and provision.  The contract had been awarded to a consortium incorporating CHL Consulting, Colin Stutt Consulting and FM Planning, whose expertise covered a wide range of areas.  A draft report had now been received and the suggested measures included:

·         ensuring Titanic-related projects provided a coherent visitor experience by 2012;

·         the development of a more co-ordinated approach, including possible joint ticketing among attractions;

·         small-scale development of certain key locations in order to improve both access and understanding – particularly the Clarendon Dock and Sailortown where earlier and more diverse stories could be told;

·         more emphasis on animating the river itself – in order to be recognised as a Maritime heritage destination, Belfast must offer more water-based experiences, including the completion of the SS Nomadic, the barge “Confiance” and possibly the HMS Caroline;

·         the development of an integrated signage strategy, with improvements to the Titanic Quarter access, crucially including public transport; and

·         longer term actions to include possibly the preservation of shipyard steam cranes, access to the Samson or Goliath cranes, a water taxi service and a footbridge linking the Abercorn Basin with Clarendon Dock.

            The consultants had made a presentation of their work to a group which included the commissioning bodies and the permanent secretaries of the Departments of Trade and Industry and of Culture, Arts and Leisure.  Both the work itself and the underlying approach had been enthusiastically welcomed.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives reminded the Committee that the HMS Caroline was due to be decommissioned and passed into the ownership of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the trustees of which would make a decision as to whether the ship should remain in Belfast or be transferred to Portsmouth.  In either case, it was intended that the ship would become a heritage asset and a tourist attraction.  The HMS Caroline had been in Belfast since 1924 and was of very considerable historical importance being ranked second on the navy’s list to HMS Victory.  She had fought in the only major naval battle of World War I and, whilst in Belfast, had played a key part in World War II’s Battle of the Atlantic.  Her centenary and that of the start of World War I would take  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

            The Committee was reminded that the Council had accepted a commission from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure to administer the Community Festivals Fund in the Belfast area.  In January, 2010 the Department had announced that £79,000 was to be awarded to the Council, which was an increase of just over 2% on the pervious year’s award.  The Committee, at its meeting on 13th January, had agreed to provide match funding, making an amount of £158,000 available in the Community Festivals Fund.  Of that, 10% was ring-fenced for administrative costs.

            The Committee was advised that three out of the four rounds of funding had been delivered to date, which represented an investment of £106,650 in twenty-seven community festivals.  Applications to the fourth round of funding, which was for festivals taking place between 1st January and 31st March, 2011, would open on 20th September, with a closing date of 22nd October, 2010.  The amount of funding available for that round was £35,550.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives reported that, of the forty-eight applications which had been received this year, 56% had been awarded funding; 29% had been refused funding; and 15% had been deemed ineligible.  Communication with both successful and unsuccessful applicants had indicated that the current guidance notes and application form lacked clarity and might have caused confusion, leading to potentially worthy festivals receiving a low score or being deemed ineligible.  Accordingly, it had been agreed to revise the guidance notes and application form.

            The Committee approved the amendments to the Community Festivals Fund guidance notes and application form, a copy of which was available for inspection on the Council’s website.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      As Members are aware, at the Arts Sub-Committee meeting on 6 August 2004, the Committee agreed to the establishment of a Festivals Forum.  The Forum was set up in recognition of the contribution festivals can make to Belfast in terms of promoting economic regeneration, driving tourism and enhancing community relations.

      In 2009-2010 Belfast City Council invested approximately £750,000 into festivals across the city through the Tourism, Culture and Arts Unit (Community Festivals Fund and Annual/Multi-Annual Fund) and Good Relations Unit (Peace IIICity of Festivals Fund).  Festivals and events are identified as a development lever to attract visitors to Belfast within the new draft Belfast integrated Strategic Tourism Framework 2010–14.

      The Festivals Forum provides a mechanism for the Council to engage with festivals in order to grow and develop the city’s festival offering.

      The Forum currently has over 120 members from a wide range of community, arts and heritage organisations.  It meets quarterly to share information and discuss strategic and citywide issues.  Achievements of the Festivals Forum to date include the development of a Belfast Festivals Calendar, disseminated throughout Northern Ireland in January and June each year, and the delivery of tailored skills development and training courses, designed to build capacity within festival organisations.

      The Festivals Action Plan for 2010 was agreed at the February Forum meeting and is attached at Appendix 1.  A £30,000 budget for the Festivals Action Plan has been included in the Departmental budget for 2010–11.  An additional £20,000 is to be requested from PEACE III to implement specific actions from the Peace III City of Festivals programme, including the development of a Festivals Charter and cross-border networking.

      Key objectives for the Festivals Forum in 2010 include developing a strategy for festivals across the city which will outline how best to: maximise opportunities including the Titanic centenary; work with funders such as Peace III to ensure there is mutual understanding of aims and objectives of funders and festival organisers; and identify more opportunities to work in partnership to ensure better efficiencies. 

Key Issues

      Neither the Festivals Forum nor individual member organisations have the resources to deliver the Festivals Action Plan.  Belfast City Council is not in a position to recruit additional staff.  The Forum agreed that in order to ensure the successful implementation of the Festivals Action Plan, they would require additional resources, specifically a Festivals Development Co?ordinator.  

      The engagement of a co-ordinator would ensure that the full potential of Belfast as a city of festivals is exploited.  The co?ordinator would be charged with the strategic development of the Festivals Forum and of festivals within the city in line with the priorities identified in the Action Plan. 

      It is anticipated that the co-ordinator will be contracted full-time from December 2010 to June 2011 inclusive (based on timescales for Peace III spend).  The budget of £50,000 will cover the co?ordinator costs, overheads and include an operational budget to implement the Action Plan.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

            The Committee was reminded that 2012 offered a significant opportunity for Belfast with the opening of the Titanic Signature Project.  The Council was working closely with a range of Government Departments and local stakeholders to ensure that this opportunity was maximised for the entire City.  The Head of Economic Initiatives outlined the actions which were being undertaken to ensure that the Titanic’s centenary would be successful.  She pointed out that, as part of the focus on 2012, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board had invited representatives from the Council to participate in a Learning Journey to Bilbao which would take place from 21st till 23rd September, 2010.  The purpose of the visit was to experience at first hand a successful visitor maritime destination that encouraged return visits, longer stays and recommendations to visit to friends and relatives.  The trip would allow key influencers to have a unique insight into Bilbao and draw parallels with Belfast as a City, the maritime heritage theme and the Titanic.

            The majority of the trip would be funded by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board but it would be necessary for a contribution of £200 per delegate to be made.  The trip was limited to a small number and was subject to the availability of the key stakeholders.  The Council had managed to negotiate two places on the visit.  Accordingly, it was recommended that the Committee approve the attendance of the Chairman (or his nominee), together with one officer, at the Learning Journey to Bilbao event in September.

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.

            The Committee was advised that the Irish Tour Operators Association would be holding its 2011 Annual General Meeting in Belfast from 4th till 6th February.  The Association comprised of thirty-two of Ireland’s most prolific tour operators, professional conference organisers, destination management companies and ground handling agencies.  Its members were responsible for handling over 465,000 passengers each year and had relationships with over 400,000 overseas tour operators and others in the incentive, events and conference sectors.

            The holding of the event in Belfast provided an excellent opportunity to showcase Belfast and Northern Ireland to a key group which was capable of directing significant business and leisure tourism to the region.  The Northern Ireland Tourist Board was seeking support for the Annual General Meeting and had submitted an application to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for the use of the City Hall and that would be considered by that Committee at its meeting on 20th August with a recommendation to approve the request.  In terms of the budget, the Tourist Board had committed £8,600 and there was currently a deficit of approximately £9,080, which would be met through the support of key stakeholders, including the Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau, additional commitment from the Tourist Board and through sponsorship.  If the Gala Dinner were to take place in the City Hall, there would be a captive audience to showcase the major tourism initiatives which the Council had led.  Accordingly, it was recommended that the dinner be supported through the Tourism, Cultural and Arts budget.

            The Committee agreed:

(i)   to provide funding up to a maximum value of £5,000 towards the reception and gala dinner event in the City Hall, on the condition that maximum support would be secured from other stakeholders; and

(ii)  that the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman (or their nominees) be authorised to attend the Gala Dinner on Saturday, 5th February, 2011.

            The Committee was reminded that the Council had agreed to manage the Broadway Roundabout public art project.  The project had been taken forward by the RISE Steering Group, membership of which included, amongst others, local Councillors and Council officers.  Following an international competition in November, 2008, the commission for the project had been awarded to Wolfgang Buttress for his sculpture entitled RISE.  The cost of the project was £486,000 and all the funding for the capital build was now in place.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives explained that the Tourism, Culture and Arts Unit was now seeking agreement from the Committee to source private sponsorship of the sculpture in order to support the costs associated with its launch, marketing and publicity, which was due to be completed by mid-December.  The RISE Steering Group had met on 25th June to discuss the project publicity plan, including the launch event.  However, there were no funds left in the project budget to cover those costs, which were estimated at £20,000, and no further public funding would be forthcoming.  The Steering Group had agreed that funding should be sought from private sponsors to cover those costs.  In the interest of fairness and transparency, it was being recommended also that the funding should be sought via an open call.

            The Committee agreed that private sponsorship of the RISE sculpture be sought to support the costs associated with its launch, marketing and publicity.

            The Committee was advised that, in August, 2007, the Red Sky Group Limited had been awarded a four year contract to deliver the Cultural Tourism Visitor Management Plan Phase II to include the design, manufacture, delivery, installation, storage and subsequent maintenance of the Belfast Welcome Banners.  The Welcome Banners were themed on a seasonal basis and were placed along the main streets on the way into the City centre to provide a bright welcome to citizens and visitors.  There were 100 welcome banner sites currently identified which were two-sided in structure.  Additional banner sites were located within the City centre and managed by other stakeholders, including the Department for Social Development Belfast Regeneration Office, the Belfast Waterfront Hall and the Belfast City Centre Management.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives pointed out that in 2009 the banners were flexible and able to incorporate one additional message on one half of the banners in each of the seasons, for example, to profile the Tall Ships visit to Belfast and the festive Christmas campaign.  The proposed next phase of banners would be reusable and a sustainable asset to the City.  The sum of £120,000 had been allocated in the City Development Fund and the budget would be used to:

(i)      deliver the banners plan up to 2012 to ensure exposure was built up to the Titanic and other related events and to ensure a co-ordinated approach across all stakeholders;

(ii)     design and manufacture welcome banners at approximately 200 sites during 2010/11; and

(iii)    erect and store banners through the existing contract with Red Sky Limited.

            The Committee approved expenditure in the sum of £120,000 for the design, manufacture and erection of new Belfast Welcome Banners.

            The Committee was reminded that the Council, at its meeting on 1st October, 2009, had referred to the Development Committee a Notice of Motion in relation to the introduction of a cycling scheme in Belfast.  At its meeting on 14th October, the Committee had considered the Motion and agreed that Council officers discuss the matter with the Department for Regional Development with a view to providing a future update.

            The Director of Development reported that a number of meetings had taken place between Council representatives, the Department for Regional Development Transportation Unit and the Strategic Investment Board to discuss the opportunities to develop a public bike hire scheme within the Belfast City Council boundary.  Presentations had also been made to various organisations on the background to the bike hire scheme which operated currently in Dublin.  It had been agreed that consultants would be appointed to explore the feasibility of establishing a public hire scheme in Belfast, including the preparation of a Business case that met the Northern Ireland guide to expenditure appraisal and evaluation standards.  The Strategic Investment Board had agreed to draw up a shared Terms of Reference for the feasibility study and fund the Commission.

            On 1st June, the Minister for Regional Development, Conor Murphy, had announced at the Belfast Cycle City – Visions for the Future Conference the setting up of a joint project to examine the feasibility and options for introducing a public bike hire scheme in Belfast.  It was proposed that the Council participate in the joint project to explore the potential for the introduction of a bike hire scheme.  The Department for Regional Development’s Transportation Unit had set up recently an Active Travel Forum, which included representatives from the public, private, voluntary and community groups.  The Council was represented on the forum by both the Development and Health and Environmental Services Departments.  The aim of the Forum would be to seek to identify the opportunities to improve walking and cycling across Northern Ireland and to contribute to the proposed Active Travel Strategy which the Department for Regional Development had committed to developing as part of the broader transportation policy approach.  The Forum had met twice and a seminar had taken place also.

            The Committee endorsed the proposed joint working on the project to explore the potential for a bike hire scheme in Belfast and noted the ongoing participation in the Active Travel Forum.

            The Committee considered the under noted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      Members are being asked to support a bid in principle to host the 2011 MTV EMAs.  The event would take place on the first or second Sunday in November (Sunday evening is the peak viewing time across the MTV European network) and would be broadcast live across Europe and also be seen by global audiences.  The event if staged in Belfast, would involve a series of activities in the week leading up to the awards culminating with the main event, which would be staged in the Odyssey Arena.

      In March this year Members agreed to fund and deliver an MTV Music Week in conjunction with MTV Europe.  This event will run from 13-20 September and will culminate with a headline concert at the Belfast Waterfront (final concert date to be confirmed).  The week long series of events and smaller concerts will showcase the city and also provide a substantial platform to profile the Belfast music industry.  The staging of this event is inline with the Council’s Integrated Strategic Framework for Belfast Tourism (2010-2015) as the document identifies high profile events as a development opportunity that will allow the city to continue to build a strong reputation as a vibrant location with unique and exciting experiences that encourage new and repeat tourism visits.  In addition music tourism has also been identified as a new product that should be developed, packaged and promoted. 

      In addition, at the Development Committee in December 2008, Members noted that Visit Britain’s research showed that 21% of potential visitors were inspired to choose a destination because of the music or bands of that country, and approved a Music Tourism Action Plan in order to celebrate Belfast’s rich musical heritage.  Due to the work of the Council and partners over the last number of years Belfast’s music has received international praise and the latest generation of Belfast musicians are playing a crucial role in revitalising the city. 

      Through the work of the Council’s Tourism, Culture and Arts and Economic Development Units (along with the Belfast music industry, NITB, ACNI, BBC and Tourism Ireland) a number of music related products have been brought on stream.  These include the Belfast Music Coach Tour, the Belfast Music Exhibition at the Oh Yeah Centre, a new music listings website Belfastmusic.org, the first ever i-phone application for music, and international showcasing and marketing of Belfast’s musicians in Nashville and South by South West.

      Creative Industries – Music Development

      The Committee is also reminded that Council’s current Local Economic Development Plan includes the following key themes: Business Competitiveness, Talent and Community Economic Regeneration.  The new local economic development plan states that in order for Belfast to stay competitive it must nurture those sectors which can create high value-added products and bring new wealth to the city.  The Music sector in Belfast has grown significantly over the past three years and now plays a key role  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

            The Committee was reminded that, at it’s meeting on 9th June, in considering the Departmental Plan 2010/11, it had deferred the approval of the budgets for a number of the key actions to enable detailed reports to be submitted to the Committee.  This had included the marketing costs associated with the Waterfront and Ulster Halls.

            Accordingly, the Head of City Events and Venues submitted a report in this regard.  He explained that, since the reopening of the Ulster Hall in March, 2009, the Belfast Waterfront and the Ulster Halls had been marketed jointly in both the conference centre and the Arts and Entertainments sectors.  That approach fitted within the joint management structure for the venues, encompassing programming, box office and operational issues.  In order to optimise the available marketing resources for the venues, a thorough review of marketing activity had been conducted which had looked at trends in the market place as well as internal issues affecting the overall ‘product’, for example, the heritage aspects of the Ulster Hall, which brought a new range of opportunities and audiences.  This had identified a number of new opportunities and challenges in relation to the promotion of the venues and accordingly the new marketing audience development strategy aimed to address those issues. 

            He reported that the following factors had emerged as the key influences on the marketing of the venues: the challenges presented by the ongoing economic crisis; the increased levels of competition; digital technology; opportunities to attract new entertainment audiences; and new market sectors such as education and tourism.  Whilst some were outside the direct control of officers, others presented the opportunity to develop and adopt the venues’ working activities so as to benefit from those new business areas.

            The Head of City Events and Venues outlined the key areas in which the development study had focused, including conferences, exhibitions and meetings, Arts and Entertainment and Community and Education.  The strategy had identified also a number of common themes across the markets which the venues served.  He reviewed the financial resources available for the implementation of the marketing and audience development strategy, which had been included in the operational budget for the Waterfront and Ulster Halls for 2010/11.

            The Committee endorsed the contents of the strategy and approved the budget for 2010/11 of £156,000 associated therewith.

            In accordance with the decision of the Committee 9th June, the Head of City Events and Venues submitted a report in relation to the provision of maintenance of mechanical and electrical systems and fabric at the Waterfront and Ulster Halls and the associated budget for 2010/11.

            The Committee noted the information which had been provided and approved the maintenance budget for 2010/11 of £240,000.

            The Committee considered the under noted report in relation to a visit to Oulu in Finland:

“Relevant Background Information

      As outlined in the report to Committee in January 2010 Belfast City Council was confirmed as the Lead Partner in the ERDF funded B -Team INTERREG IVC project.

      This European Network project seeks to improve regional policies influencing the regeneration of Brownfield areas through transfer of best practice. The project will provide policy support to the partner cities to assist with the successful development Brownfield sites in order to contribute to the continued sustainable growth and address the issues of urban dereliction and under used land.

      The B-Team will bring together experts in Brownfield regeneration from different countries to exchange knowledge and improve regional policies linked to practical work addressing current development issues. This work will provide dual benefits through the development of skill across the participating organisations as well as through the transfer techniques or alternative approaches to the common problems or challenges for the cities. The exchange of knowledge and cooperation will take place in ‘Brownfield Days’ which are local engagement events in the partner cities focussed on addressing the local obstacles to successful regeneration. These experiences and lessons will form the basis for dissemination to a broader public in Seminar and Conference events.

      The specific policy or development recommendations will be implemented through the planning or development processes in the partner cities through commitments to improve or introduce new approaches. The partners in the project will sign a ‘Brownfield Pledge’ which commits them to improving their policies or addressing the obstacles to the continued redevelopment of the important city land assets.

      Following on from the earlier Committee updates this report seeks to outline the detailed activity for the first partner meeting and approval for participation at the ‘Brownfield Days’ in Oulu, Finland.

Key Issues

      The exchange of knowledge and cooperation is focussed on the ‘Brownfield Days’ local engagement events in the partner cities. These concentrated efforts will address the local obstacles to successful regeneration and development of Brownfield land. The first of the ‘Brownfield Days’ will take place in the City of Oulu in Finland on the 13th to 16th September 2010.

      The project is based on a minimum of two participants from each partner city attending the local engagement events to contribute their specific skills or experience to the understanding of the challenges and the development of potential solutions or alternative approaches.

      The INTERREG funded B-Team project will be developed over the period to December 2012 and will include a similar local engagement event in Belfast. Through the participation as the Lead Partner of this project there will be a number of benefits for the Council including:

-     Consultant support and advice from international experts and practitioners in Brownfield regeneration (regeneration experts from other countries will participate in local engagement events and support the Council in enhancing regeneration processes)

-     Establishment of Belfast City Council as Lead partner in Brownfield regeneration and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

            The Committee agreed to receive at a special meeting a presentation from representatives of the Northern Ireland Science Park in relation to the work which was being undertaken.

            The Committee was reminded that, since 2005, the Council had invested in the Creative Industries as part of its programme of support for the local economy.  One of the projects in which the Council had invested previously was Blick Shared Studios, which was a business incubation project for the creative sector.  The business was based on the Malone Road in a property which has been let by the private sector at favourable rates.  The building currently housed twelve companies across a range of disciplines, including fashion, textiles, graphic/web design, jewellery, television production, photography, game development, motion graphics, magazine production and feature film development.  The company had developed a structured programme of business growth for its tenant companies which comprised of a number of elements:

·         a year long mentoring programme for tenant companies which linked them with industry experts;

·         monthly business growth events  - this incorporated networking sessions, workshops and seminars and the topics to be covered were likely to include intellectual property, copyright, patenting, product development and procurement;

·         quarterly business growth clinics – those would be full-day/half-day workshops relevant to creative businesses on a range of topics such as public relations, sales and marketing, accessing funding and legal issues.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives stated that the aim of the programme was to enhance the business skills of participating companies and subsequently support them in improving their productivity and competitiveness.  She advised the Members that Blick Shared Studios had submitted a request for funding of £30,000 to support the work.  She pointed out that match funding of £15,000 was available from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment under the European Unions Structural Funds programme. 

            The Committee agreed to allocate £30,000 for the delivery of the project, of which £15,000 would be made available from the Council’s funds and £15,000 of grant?aid which had been secured from the European Unions Structural Funds Programme.

            The Committee was advised that a request for financial support had been received from Shopmobility Belfast.  The Head of Economic Initiatives reminded the Members that, for the last decade, the organisation had received financial support from the Council through its Economic Development Unit for the promotion of accessibility of services within the City.  Prior to 2007, that support had been match funded by European Union funds.  However, the activity was no longer eligible for match funding from the European Union and therefore the request for support related to Council monies only. The organisation received also some small levels of support from the Parks and Leisure Department for work undertaken in the Parks and Open Spaces.

            She advised the Members that Shopmobility Belfast provided motorised scooters and manual wheelchairs, free of charge, to enable those with mobility problems to access the City centre and surrounding areas.  The organisation was based at a number of locations in the city and provided also an outreach service at events such as Rose Week and the Balmoral Show.  The organisation had placed also a number of scooters at the Belfast Zoo and in Ormeau Park.  Shopmobility Belfast had recently carried out a survey which indicated that a typical member using the service brought with them two other shoppers and spent around £50 in the city.  There were over 6,400 trips into the city last year and that brought in additional revenue estimated at around £970,000.  The organisation’s running costs for the year were approximately £260,000 and they had requested the Council to make a contribution of £25,000 towards that budget.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives explained that, whilst the service was clearly a valuable resource, the direct approach for financial support to the Economic Development Unit was at odds with the business planning process.  No other organisation made a direct approach for financial support in that manner and, because of that, it was proposed, should the request for financial support be approved this financial year, that notification be given to the organisation that that approach would not be considered in future years.  Instead, it might be appropriate to consider a corporate view to funding the organisation, possibly in conjunction with the Council’s support for the Belfast City Centre Management.  Alternatively, the preferred approach might be to maintain the arrangement of paid-for services at specific events, as was the case presently, particularly for Parks and Leisure Services events. 

            The Committee agreed to accede to the request from Shopmobility Belfast for funding in the sum of £25,000, subject to the stipulations around future funding options as outlined.

            The Committee was reminded that the Continental Market had been operating a number of times each year in the grounds of the City Hall for almost six years.  The existing contract for the provision of the Continental Market would expire after the conclusion of the Christmas Continental Market 2010.  Accordingly, approval was being sought to tender for a suitably qualified and experienced market operator to deliver two Continental Markets per year in the front grounds of the City Hall for a further three years, that is, 2011 till 2013.  The Continental Markets would consist of a four-day market on the last Bank Holiday weekend in May and a twenty-day Christmas Continental Market to be delivered in the lead-in to Christmas.

            The Committee approved the commencement of a tendering exercise for the provision of Continental Markets as outlined and agreed that the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee be recommended to grant the use of the City Hall grounds for the operation of those events.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report in relation to a proposed Transport Bill for Northern Ireland and approved the draft response:

“Relevant Background Information

      The purpose of the report is to outline the proposed response to the consultation on the draft Transport Bill and consider whether or not the Council would wish to engage with the Regional Development Committee through the presentation of evidence during the Committee consideration.

      In February 2010 the Council responded to two public consultations by the Department for Regional Development (DRD) on the Reform of Public Transport and Rapid Transit proposals.

The response to the Reform of Public Transport highlighted concerns relating to the proposed creation of a new agency with responsibility for public transport provision within the Department for Regional Development. The concerns related to the proposed level of local accountability and the transparency of decision making within the proposals for the new agency.

      In May 2010 DRD published a Final Report on the Public Transport Reform Consultation which recommended the establishment of a new public transport agency, within DRD, for the procurement of public transport services and associated regulatory arrangements.

      Recent correspondence from the Northern Ireland Assembly informed the Council that the consideration of the proposed Transport Bill had moved to the Committee Stage. As part of this process the Committee for Regional Development has invited written submissions from the respondents in respect of the Proposed Transport Bill as a precursor to formal engagement in the Assembly Committee process. A draft Council response to the Transport Bill consultation can be viewed at Appendix 1. The notification of the Committee Stage also highlighted the option for the Council to participate at the Regional development Committee sessions to offer oral evidence in relation to submitted comments on the draft legislation. The final date for receipt of written submissions is 16 August 2010.

Key Issues

      As outlined in the previous responses in February of this year there are a number concerns in respect of the proposed reforms to Public Transport outlined in the draft Transport Bill. The appended draft Consultation Responses provides specific detail in respect different clauses set out in the draft Transport Bill The principle concerns regarding the proposed Transport Bill relate to the future role of local councils, local transport plans and the potential role of the Consumer Council in relation to this important area of service provision and regulation.

      It should be noted that initial proposals included the option of transferring responsibility for public transport to the new local councils proposed under the Review of Public Administration. This option was abandoned by DRD on the basis of the revised RPA proposals for the retention of local roads functions within the Department for Regional Development. The Council had requested clarification of the basis for the decision to abandon the council led agency option from detailed consideration and the subsequent failure to clarify the role of local councils in this important local service.

      Whilst the Bill states under Clause 6 (‘Service Permits’) that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

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

“Relevant Background Information

      The Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment has announced that renewable energy will be the subject of an enquiry. In particular the NIACETI wishes to examine the barriers to renewable energy production and its associated potential contribution to the Northern Ireland economy.

      Specific issues the enquiry will consider include:

-     the current mechanisms at national, regional and local level to support and assist renewable energy production.

-     comparisons between the mechanisms for support and assistance in NI and those in other EU member states that are considered to be at the forefront of renewable energy.

-     the support and assistance available to SMEs in the renewable energy sector to develop renewable energy technologies.

-     the support and assistance available to SMEs in the renewable energy sector to grow and develop their business.

-     the appropriateness of current mechanism to develop and grow both local renewable energy markets and export markets.

-     assessing which EU member states are considered to be in the forefront of renewable energy development both overall and for each type of renewable energy.

      Unfortunately, the Department was only asked to respond to the consultation on the 29 June 2010 and the closing date for replies was Sunday 8 August 2010. Therefore a provisional response was sent with a note that the response had not been ratified by our Committee due to the short timescales.

Key Issues

      The provisional response sent is shown below:

      Barriers to Renewable Energy Production – NI Assembly Task Force Consultation

      Please find below our comments in response to your invitation to discuss barriers to renewable energy production. Most of the information in this response has come from our North Foreshore Project Manager (who is responsible for the Council’s existing renewable electricity facilities) and our Planning team. Reference has also been made to an early consultation response to the Department of Environment Consultation on Permitted Development Rights, which included a section on Microgeneration (e.g. wind turbines, solar panels). That response was informed by our Environmental Services Department and was approved by the Council’s Town Planning Committee on 3rd December 2009. It is available online if required.

      Please also note that the views expressed in this response are pending ratification by the Development Committee on the 11th August 2010. Unfortunately, the timescales and the timing of this consultation have made it impossible to submit a ratified response.

      Provisional Response

      BelfastCity Council is making a significant contribution to non-wind renewable energy production. The Council developed the Landfill Gas Electricity Power Plant to utilise the methane gas at the North Foreshore Giant’s Park, the former Dargan Road Waste Landfill site. Our landfill gas powered generating facility produces 5 megawatts of green electricity per hour sufficient to power 6,000 homes. However landfill gas is not sustainable, as the methane gas supply will progressively decline over a 15 – 20 year period. Alternative sources of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      The Department of the Environment (DoE) is currently seeking views on proposals to introduce a new Bus Operator Licensing system in Northern Ireland. Currently the DoE through the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) is responsible under the Transport Act (NI) 1967 for granting a Roads Service License (RSL) to passenger transport operators who wish to carry passengers by road for reward. The RSL applies to a vehicle (buses and minibuses) designed or adapted to carry nine or more passengers for hire or reward. 

      The Roads Service License is composed of two elements: fitness to operate within the industry and the routes or services operated by approved licence holders. Currently DoE and the Department for Regional Development (DRD) share responsibility for this area of Transport Policy. 

      The current Transport Act also provides for a permanent exemption from licensing through the 10B permit system. This system was introduced for voluntary groups carrying out a range of activities associated with education, religion, social welfare and other activities that benefit the community whereby permits can be issued by a range of designated bodies.  District councils along with Education and Library boards and Health and Social Services Boards are among the designated bodies that are entitled to grant permits in relation to the use of small buses under Section 10B of the Transport Act.

      Under the current shared responsibility the DoE has the powers to regulate the bus services industry in terms of the criteria that must be met to enter the industry (i.e. those applicable to the bus operator).

      The responsibility for controlling the routes and services that an operator can provide is carried out in consultation with the DRD.

      Under public transport reform it is proposed to separate the current powers over operators and the routes or services. The consultation document proposes that the DoE will retain the policy and legislative responsibility to license bus operators, based on their suitability, with the DRD taking over responsibility for the policy and legislation relating to the routes or services. Whilst the DRD intend to bring forward new legislation on services, it should be noted that it does not form part of this consultation.

Key Issues

      The consultation outlines proposals by DoE to replace the existing Roads Service License system. The Department aims to create a more modern bus operator licensing regime, which is flexible, transparent and supports fair competition.

      The Department has a number of options:

      Option 1 – Do nothing

      The DRD reform of public transport will remove the responsibility from DoE for the route/service element of bus licensing leaving the operator element and the 10B permit scheme to continue.

      Option 2 - A single licensing Regime

      Create a single licensing scheme for all. The existing operator licensing regime would be extended to cover all bodies currently operating under 10B.

      Option 3 – New 3 Tier Licensing Regime

      Tier 1 would be full bus operator licensing and would essentially take the same form  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report relating to the Bus Rapid Transport:

“Relevant Background Information

      Bus Rapid Transit is proposed by the Department for Regional Development (DRD) as the preferred option for the rapid transit system in Belfast. A study commissioned in 2007 by DRD considered possible routes and technologies for rapid transit in Belfast.  The study concluded that a bus based rapid transit system for Belfast is the viable option rather than light rail technology. In addition the study identified a pilot network of three routes connecting East Belfast, West Belfast and Titanic Quarter with and through the city centre.

      The Department has since released a rapid transit public consultation document in November 2009 to which the Development Committee agreed a response in January 2010. The consultation document set out how the Department aims to implement the rapid transit system at the strategic level. The document does not deal with operational details of the system such as route alignment, location and design of halts, vehicle design, or branding. These will be subject of a further consultation exercise.

      The Department has subsequently published a Final Report on the consultation document summarising the consultation responses, identifying next steps, and responding to comments from consultees. A summary of the Department’s responses to Belfast City Council’s consultation has been circulated.

Key Issues

      In the original consultation DRD proposed a number of powers in order to allow delivery of the rapid transit system in Belfast. The Council’s response can be summarised as follows:

-     The Council would support the Department as the authority to implement the rapid transit proposals in Belfast but would request clarification on the role of local councils. The Council would recommend that the relevant local councils are closely engaged in the planning and implementation of the pilot rapid transit network. In doing so, this will allow for better integration between transport and local land-use planning which is proposed to transfer to councils under the review of public administration

-     The Council would request clarification on the role for local councils in development of performance based contracts to ensure transparency and local accountability

-     A key issue for the Council is the integration of the proposed bus rapid transit system with the existing public transport service. A sustainable transport corridor approach should be developed along with an integrated ticketing system along the route alignment

-     Current rapid transit proposals do not include plans for the north and south of the City and the Council would request details of measures to ensure an equitable high quality public transport system throughout the city.

      In the Final Report the Department have made some comments to the Council’s consultation response, a copy of which has been circulated.

      The Final Report on the consultation also outlines the proposed next steps for development of the rapid transit system. The Department has gained approval from the Executive Committee to instruct the Office of the Legislative Counsel to draft a new Transport Bill.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.