Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Councillors Crozier and Mhic Giolla Mhín.

            The minutes of the meeting of 15th September were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 4th October.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 15th September, it had agreed to defer consideration of a report in relation to the Legacy Trust and Land of Giants Project to enable a further detailed report in relation to the proposal to be submitted to its next meeting.

            The Committee was informed that the City Events Manager had, following a meeting in February of the Council-managed Festivals’ Forum, been approached to submit on behalf of a consortium comprised of groups within the Forum, an application to Legacy Trust UK.  The Head of City Events and Venues reported that the Trust was inviting bids for projects, from which five would be selected, to mark the 2012 Cultural Olympiad year.  The successful projects would link in with other cities, regions and festivals to create unique celebrations during 2012 and would have access of up to £750,000 from the Trust.

He outlined the nature of the consortium’s project, which was centred around the theme “Land of the Giants” and explained that it would provide the City with an opportunity to participate in the world’s biggest cultural programme and showcase what Belfast had to offer in an international context.  It had the potential also to build the capacity and confidence of the creative industries in the City by harnessing indigenous talent for future work on a regional, national and international scale and presented a unique tourism opportunity by linking up with Northern Ireland’s signature projects.

The Head of City Events and Venues informed the Members that the project had been submitted to Legacy Trust UK prior to the deadline of 5th March and had since progressed to the second stage, which had necessitated the submission by 27th May of a further application.  He explained that the consortium’s bid had competed successfully with almost 100 submissions from across the United Kingdom and was now one of five preferred bidders and the only one from Northern Ireland.  He pointed out that the Belfast consortium was now in a position to access up to £750,000 from Legacy Trust UK and added that, since the writing of the Committee report, clarification had been obtained which had indicated that the receipt of match?funding was not now a prerequisite for obtaining approval for the project.

He reported further that, prior to the consortium’s bid being submitted, Council officers had been advised by Legacy Trust UK that a bid by the individual organisations would not be successful, due to their limited capacity to undertake such a project.  Therefore, in order to ensure the success of the bid, the consortium would be required to establish a not-for-profit company which would manage the project, with an overseeing body comprising representatives of the key funders involved.  It had been suggested that Council officers would have input into this company, although the proposed limited entity would be separate and have no legal connection to the Council.

The Head of City Events and Venues explained that, in order to enable Legacy  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

            The Head of City Events and Venues reminded the Committee that the Council had, for fifteen years, organised an annual programme of events.  In 2009, these events had in total attracted approximately 1.4 million people and had generated an economic impact of almost £18 million for Belfast, which represented a return of £6.80 for every £1 which the Council had invested.  The events programme had attracted also an average of 7% of out-of-state visitors, who had added to the vibrancy and cultural activity of the City.  He explained that it was intended to organise in 2011 two elements of the annual events programme, namely, the Titanic Made in Belfast Festival and the Belfast Titanic Maritime Festival, which in 2010 had attracted 49,513 and 65,000 visitors respectively.

            He reported that feedback from visitors who had attended this year’s Titanic Made in Belfast Festival had indicated that there was still a huge interest in the Titanic theme and that they wished to see more related events and information being made available in Belfast.  The estimated economic impact of the 2010 event had been £600,000, with 69% of attendees coming from outside Belfast and Northern Ireland.  He added that this underpinned the economic rationale for the event to be repeated in 2011 and enhanced in the lead up to the Centenary of the Titanic in 2012. 

In relation to the Belfast Titanic Maritime Festival, he reported that it had over the four years in which it had been held become an established event and had attracted on average audiences in excess of 50,000 people.  In 2010, the Festival had generated just under £1.2 million of additional economic activity for the local economy.  He added that 47% of all attendees had originated from outside Belfast and stressed that the Festival provided a platform for Belfast to bid for and host future Tall Ships festivals and to celebrate and promote the City’s maritime heritage, together with providing a valuable marketing tool for attracting visitors. 

It had been estimated that the cost of the holding of the Titanic Made in Belfast event in 2011 would be £150,000 and that the Belfast Titanic Maritime Festival 2010 would cost £250,000.  However, the total economic return on this investment would be in the region of £1.8 million, which would equate to £3.75 for every £1 invested by the Council.  Accordingly, he recommended that the Committee approve the holding in the City in 2011 of the Titanic Made in Belfast Festival and the Belfast Titanic Maritime Festival.

            During discussion, several Members highlighted an apparent lack of co?ordination and communication amongst those organisations involved in promoting the Titanic theme.  In response, the Director of Development pointed out that a Steering Group comprising a number of organisations, including the Council, had been established to progress issues around the Titanic Centenary celebrations and added that a special meeting of the Committee was planned which would consider the most appropriate way in which to move the matter forward.

            After further  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

            The Committee was reminded that Belfast had, in March, 2008, hosted the World Irish Dancing Championships.  The Head of City Events and Venues reported that this had been the fourth occasion since the year 2000 that the Council had hosted the Championships and that 92% of all participants and supporters had attended from outside Northern Ireland. He informed the Members that the World Irish Dancing Championships and the All?Ireland Championships would be staged in Belfast in 2012 and 2013 respectively and that the total cost associated with these events was £400,000, which, in turn, would generate a projected economic return of £8 million.

            He reported further that the Irish Dancing Commission had recently approached the Council in order to explore the possibility of the Council bidding for the All-Ireland Dancing Championships in October, 2015 and the World Irish Dancing Championships in April, 2016.  The estimated cost associated with each event would be in the region of £250,000, which represented an increase of £50,000 on the events being held in 2012 and 2013.  He explained that the increase was due to the fact that the bidding process now attracted significant competition from across the United Kingdom, Ireland and North America, which meant that the Irish Dancing Commission would require greater inducements, in addition to the use of the venues.  Both events would now require the use of a third venue, which would increase overall costs.  Officers had identified that St. George’s Market would be most suitable for this purpose, however, it would need to be modified in advance.  He added that provisional contact had been made with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board in relation to it assisting with any potential bid and to enquire about the possibility of obtaining financial assistance, should the bid be successful.  Accordingly, he recommended that the Committee approve the Council’s bids to hold the All-Ireland Dancing Championships and the World Irish Dancing Championships in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.

            The Head of City Events and Venues sought and was granted authority to initiate a tendering exercise in relation to the provision of the following services which were required to enable the delivery of the Council’s annual events programme:

(i)   production management, public address, stage and lighting (total cost currently £221,000 per annum);

(ii)  the supply and management of LED screens (total cost currently £52,000 per annum);

(iii)professional stewarding of events (total cost approximately £75,000 per annum, with the tender being issued in conjunction with other Council Departments); and

(iv)the supply of fireworks/stage pyrotechnics and lasers (total cost £30,000 per annum)

            The Committee noted that, in accordance with the authority delegated to him, the Director would be accepting the most economically advantageous tenders submitted.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 11th August, it had been provided with information in respect of a forthcoming call for projects under Priority 1 of the European Social Fund.

            The Director of Development informed the Members that the call had now been issued, with the deadline for submissions being 5th November.  He explained that the European Social Fund, which was administered locally by the Department for Employment and Learning, was one of the European Commission’s Structural Funds and was used for training and employability projects.  Priority 1 of the Northern Ireland European Social Fund sought to help people find sustainable employment and projects funded under this Priority should concentrate on activities to extend the employment opportunities of unemployed and inactive people by helping them to enter, remain and make progress in work.  Projects should help to improve the employability of groups experiencing significant employment gaps, such as those with disabilities, lone parents, older workers, young people not in education and people with limited educational qualifications.  Projects which were successful in receiving funding under the European Social Fund were required to obtain 35% in match-funding.

            The Director reported that the Council was, presently, match-funding one project, namely, HARTE (Hospitality and Retail Training for Employment) and had in the current year provided £40,000 to assist with the project.  He reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 11th August, it had agreed a set of criteria to be used to guide the development of any potential application received under the European Social Fund and had agreed also that these would be used to assess any requests for match-funding from potential partners.  He reviewed the criteria and reported that Members had suggested that, whilst projects should have city-wide impact, extra emphasis should be placed on areas with high levels of unemployment and low skills but within the context of an overall strategic outlook for the City.  They had noted that the sectors which had been identified for prioritisation should not be mutually exclusive but should include other sectors such as manufacturing and entrepreneurship.

            He reported further that, in anticipation of the call for projects, a meeting had been held with officers from across all Departments in order to identify potential areas of focus for any initiative in which the Council might become involved, in order to ensure the appropriate adherence to Council priorities.  Officers had been contacted also by other partners who would be interested in developing projects for submission and had been liaising closely with the Department for Education and Learning to ensure that project ideas did not replicate those being provided currently.  He pointed out that, at this stage, no specific projects had been formalised.  He added that the resource implications for the Council of the European Social Fund match-funding criteria were not clear but would not exceed current investment in employability initiatives and that, once projects were defined, a report would be submitted to the Committee in order to seek approval for the requisite amount of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      Members will be familiar that the European Unit makes regular progress reports to the Development Committee.  This report provides details and seek approval regarding the Eurocities Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2010:

Eurocities AGM 2010

Eurocities is a network of over 140 of Europe’s major cities in over 30 countries.  The organisation influences and works with the EU Institutions to respond to common issues that impact the day to day lives of Europeans. The network aims to share the opinions of stakeholders in Brussels to ultimately shift legislation in a way that helps city governments address the EU’s strategic challenges at the local level. Eurocities also aims to assist local authorities in maximising European funding, networking and project opportunities.

Currently based on Europe’s three key challenges the Eurocities policy priorities are:

-    Climate

-    Economic Recovery

-    Inclusion

Eurocities provides a platform for its member cities to share knowledge and ideas, to exchange experiences, to analyse common problems and develop innovative solutions, through a wide range of forums, working groups, projects, activities and events.

The Eurocities network is structured around six thematic fora chaired by elected cities, namely:

-    Economic Development

-    Social Affairs

-    Environment

-    Knowledge Society

-    Culture

-    Mobility

The secretariat for the network is based in Brussels with a staff and Executive Board of elected members from cities throughout Europe.

Fora meetings are held three times per year in rotated venues around Europe and each forum has a maximum of eight working groups or projects.

Belfast City Council has been an active member of the Eurocities network since the mid 1990’s. Currently the city, through officers and elected members, is active in the following fora:

1.      Economic development

2.      Social Affairs

3.      Environment

4.      Knowledge Society (more recent)

5.      Culture (tentative)

A workplan for 2010 has been circulated to Members which outlines where the Council is currently involved in leading or working on Eurocities led policy, funding or project issues.

Key Issues

AGM 2010

Each year the Council attends the Eurocities AGM represented by the Chair and Deputy Chair of Development or nominees the Director of Development, the Head of Economic Initatives and the European Manager or their nominees.

The 2010 AGM will be held in the city of Zaragoza, Spain from 3–6 November. The event hosted by the city council is entitled ‘Successful cities: Vision and Identity’. The theme chosen for Eurocities 2010 Zaragoza focuses on the analysis of how cities develop innovative tools to create a strong identity and to promote themselves at different levels, both nationally and internationally.

Cities are in competition to attract investments, art, culture, tourism and citizens. To become a strong city it is essential to create or consolidate a city brand within the framework of a comprehensive economic development strategy.

In Zaragoza, particularly aware of this, since, during the last months, it has gone through the creation and launching process of its  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 9th June, it had, following requests from third parties to hold markets in Belfast, agreed to the formulation of a Council Markets Policy.  The Director of Development explained that the requests had arisen due to the fact that the Council retained currently the sole right, under legislation dating back to 1845, to hold and operate markets in the City.  He pointed out that this entitlement was exercised principally through St. George’s Market but also through externally contracted market-style events such as the Continental Market and events related to the Belfast Titanic Maritime Festival. 

            He reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 15th September, it had been advised that officers from the Legal Services Section had been in consultation with other Council Departments and had formulated a draft Markets Policy which required further work prior to it being submitted to the Committee for its consideration.  He outlined the key elements of the policy, which would set out general principles relating to locations, types and size of markets, procedural requirements for applicants, grounds for refusal, the granting or revoking of a licence, general conditions for specific types of markets and costs and fees.  The Director stated that it was anticipated that the document would be completed in time for submission to the Committee in November and recommended that a briefing session be arranged in advance in order to apprise Members of the contents of the draft policy and the work which had been undertaken to date.

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      BelfastCity Council supports the Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau to implement an annual marketing and visitor servicing plan for Belfast.  Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau manage the Belfast Welcome Centre at Donegall Place and Members are aware that location is being reviewed.  This report provides Members with an update on key issues in relation to Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau (BVCB) and the Belfast Welcome Centre (BWC).

Key Issues

      Funding and Performance

      Members agreed at the Development Committee meeting on 13th January to award £1,865,465 funding to Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau for 2010/2011.  To date, £1,060,732 has been paid and we are due to release the rest of the funding in October, 2010.  It was agreed that the BVCB would provide quarterly reports against performance measure and indicators.  The report documenting year to date progress (up to September 2010) has been circulated to Members.

      Members should also note that BVCB has revised sales targets for the Belfast Welcome Centre in 2010/2011 due to a number of factors impacting on performance this year including the ash cloud, wider economic climate and the streets ahead programme of works.  The board of BVCB, made up of both private sector representatives and Councillors, has agreed to these revisions and are currently delivering against these new targets as part of their 2010/11 Business Plan. 

      The revisions are as follows:

-    Merchandise sales – reduce by 25% from £445,000 to £333,750

-    Ticket sales – increase by 10% from £590,000 to £649,000

-    Accommodation commissions – reduce by 40% from £12,000 to £7,200

-    Other commissions – reduce by 35% from £33,000 to £21,450

Lease Agreement at Donegall Place/Fáilte Ireland

Belfast City Council's lease at Donegall Place ended on 31st July 2010. As no agreement was reached with the landlord prior to lease end (for an extension for a further year, whilst consideration by BCC was given to the possible relocation of BVCB), an application was made to the Lands Tribunal.

FáilteIreland entered into a Licence Agreement with Belfast City Council for the temporary use of a small area within the Belfast Welcome Centre for the period 1st June 2010 to 30th July 2010.  Members agreed to the temporary occupation at the Development Committee meeting on 14th April, 2010.

The Landlord has offered BCC a new lease for ten years commencing 1st August, 2010 and currently discussions are ongoing with the landlord and the Tribunal to reach agreement on the term of the lease.  BVCB and Fáilte Ireland continue to occupy the premises in Donegall Place.

Members are asked to confirm whether Fáilte Ireland may continue to occupy the premises alongside BVCB on a temporary basis.  The BVCB board had indicated that a licence agreement for nine months to Fáilte Ireland was preferable however that was not possible due to BCC's own lease end date of 31st July, 2010.

Relocation of BWC - Economic Appraisal

Consultants,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      The Department for Employment and Learning (DELNI) recently issued its draft strategy for Success through STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) for consultation.  This strategy addresses the decline in the number of young people leaving school with qualifications in STEM subjects.  This is seen as a threat to the future competitiveness of the Northern Ireland economy.  The strategy addresses how to make STEM subjects more attractive to young people and their parents and also how to encourage demand and rewards for people with STEM qualifications.  Hence, the strategy affects both the education and commercial sectors.

Key Issues

      The Department for Employment and Learning, in conjunction with the Department for Education (DE) commissioned a review of STEM in June, 2007.  This review concluded in September, 2009.  The final report from the review identified 20 recommendations grouped under four key ‘imperatives’.  These are:

-    Imperative 1: Business must take the lead in promoting STEM;

-    Imperative 2: Alleviate key constraints in the STEM ‘artery’;

-    Imperative 3: Increased flexibility in the provision of STEM education; and

-    Imperative 4: Government must coordinate its support for STEM.

      The draft strategy produced for consultation in September, 2010 represents government’s response to the above review.  Following the consultation period, the strategy will form part of the Northern Ireland Executive’s overarching strategy for the delivery of STEM skills.  A copy of the draft strategy has been circulated to Members.

      An increase in the uptake of STEM is seen as a central pillar of the Executive’s commitment within the Programme for Government to create a dynamic, innovative economy. 

      In Northern Ireland, the percentage of young people studying STEM subjects at further and higher education level is higher than in England, Scotland and Wales.  However, as with the rest of the UK, STEM enrolments at higher education level have fallen off slightly in recent years, although the figures for 2008-2009 do show some small uplift. 

      On a less positive note, over 8,000 people originally from Northern Ireland are registered on STEM-related courses in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.  Research suggests that only one in three of this number will return to Northern Ireland on completion of their education.  The report recognises that graduates are mobile and will be attracted by the offer of higher salaries elsewhere.  This being the case, the point is made that the issue is not so much the potential supply of people with STEM qualifications, but rather the low employment returns on STEM educational investment in Northern Ireland compared to elsewhere. 

      The report suggests that there is a significant role for DETI to play in attracting new foreign direct investment and supporting indigenous business growth in new hi-tech sectors, in order to ensure an outlet for those with STEM skills.  Anecdotally, we are aware of a major US IT company which had a recruitment drive recently and found it difficult to attract graduates with the appropriate software  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 19th November, 2003, it had agreed to support the creation of the PLACE Design Centre to promote awareness and understanding of quality urban design and architecture.  The Committee, at its meeting on 17th November, 2007, had agreed to support the Centre for up to a further three years from March, 2008.

            The Director of Development informed the Members that PLACE was operated in partnership between the Council and the Royal Society of Ulster Architects.  He explained that the Society paid the management costs of the Centre and was responsible for the implementation of its business plan.  The Centre was supported also

by contributions from organisations such as the Arts Council, the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Strategic Investment Board.  The Council provided it, at no cost, with premises in Fountain Street, which formed part of the area leased to the Council for use by the Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau and the Belfast Welcome Centre.

            He reported that PLACE was now in the process of changing its status in order to ensure that it was well equipped to continue to deliver its activities.  Henceforth, it would be a company limited by guarantee with charitable status and would operate independently from the Royal Society of Ulster Architects.  He advised that the organisation wished to update Members on its restructuring plans and to outline the role to be played by the Council in its future operations.

            Accordingly, the Committee agreed to receive at a future meeting a presentation from the Director of the PLACE Design Centre.

            The Committee agreed that a special meeting be held to receive from a representative of the Department for Social Development a presentation on the reStore Initiative in the Castle Street area and in relation to the ongoing work in the Smithfield and Union areas.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 15th September, it had been advised that the Minister for Social Development had agreed to meet with an All?Party Deputation from the Council in order to discuss issues around the Royal Exchange Regeneration Project.

            The Director of Development reported that the meeting had taken place on 30th September.  He explained that the deputation had put to the Minister a number of questions relating to the Project, such as the need for a formal method of engagement between the Council, the Department for Social Development and the developers, the key points contained within the Development Agreement, the phasing of the development and its impact upon existing tenants and landowners, the Minister’s position regarding the Department’s retail sequencing policy and how cuts in the Department’s budget would impact upon regeneration schemes overall within the City centre.  The deputation had discussed with the Minister a number of other issues including the Streets Ahead Project, the opening up of Berry Street in order to facilitate the re-development of Bank Square and when the masterplans for the North West and the South West Quarters of the City were to be progressed.

            The Director explained that the following key points had arisen from the meeting:

·         the Northern Ireland Executive was, as part of the Budget 2010 process, working currently to develop spending plans for the years from 2011-2012 to 2014-2015.  The Minister had submitted a bid for funding of £110 million for the scheme for year 3 of the next Northern Ireland Executive budget (2013-2014).  The draft budget was scheduled to be announced at the end of October;

·         the Minister had expressed his support for the Department’s policy on retail sequencing and did not share the view of the Council that this should be abandoned and the development be led by market forces;

·         information contained within the Development Agreement was commercially sensitive and the Minister was of the view that it would be inappropriate to forward this to the Committee;

·         the owners of CastleCourt, namely, Westfield, had continually indicated to the Department for Social Development that it had evidence that the three major schemes for the City centre, namely, Victoria Square, the Royal Exchange and an extension to the Castlecourt Complex, could be progressed together but, despite a number of requests, it had failed to provide the Department with the requisite information;

·         significantly, the Minister had agreed to meet twice yearly with a deputation from the Development Committee in order to discuss issues of mutual interest.  However, due to the holding in May, 2011 of elections, he could not provide a commitment beyond the current term of office but had suggested that the next meeting be scheduled for January/February, 2011 before the election purdah period; and

·         the planning application for the Royal Exchange Scheme was due to be submitted by 31st October and the Minister was not aware of any reason why the developer would not make the submission.  The actual boundary of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      At the meeting of the Development Committee on 15th September, Members requested that additional information on outcomes of QUESTOR membership be provided in order to support the request to extend that membership for a further year. 

      QUESTOR is a membership-based environmental research cooperative led by Queen’s University, Belfast (QUB).  It has been operating since 1989 and provides member companies with world-class environmental research focused on their specific needs.  It also provides a platform for the transfer of technology and knowledge to member organisations and for the commercial exploitation of research conducted.

      The centre serves a select membership made up of environmental regulators and environmentally responsible companies, ranging in size from large multi-national corporations through to forward looking Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). Members include BP, Exxon Mobil, Chevron North Sea Limited, Bombardier, Coca Cola Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Water and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

      QUESTOR’s research expertise is focused on four key areas:

-    Waste management and remediation;

-    Environmental monitoring;

-    Water and wastewater treatment; and

-    Renewable energy technologies.

Key Issues

      As part of BelfastCity Council’s work to develop the environmental industries sector in the city and to promote more sustainable business development activities, the Council has been an associate member of the centre for the last two years. 

      This membership has allowed us to participate on the Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) – the steering group which determines the strategic direction of the annual research programme. It also allows us to represent the interests of small businesses from within Belfast as the current level of SME membership (£5,000) has proven to be quite prohibitive for those companies. 

      We are currently working with 6 waste management and renewable energy companies to help them identify collaborative research needs and they will be able to use QUESTOR resources to undertake that research and identify possible commercial exploitation opportunities.  Additional work has been undertaken with 12 businesses across Belfast on waste, water and energy management and we are seeking to establish linkages with QUESTOR in order to pilot some research work within those businesses.

      The sector is relatively under developed in Belfast at present but it is considered that there is a significant opportunity to build on the recent commercial success such as Harland and Wolff’s contract to build two substations for offshore wind farms in Wales. 

      To set this work in context, it is envisaged that the world market for low carbon and environmental goods and services will be in the region of £3,000billion this year and growing by an estimated 5% year on year, despite the impacts of the recession. In Northern Ireland, the sector is worth £3.3billion with 1,620 businesses employing 30,600 people. It is further anticipated that the promotion of environmental technologies and the development of renewable energy will assist with addressing the impacts of the economic downturn.

      At present only 1% of Northern Ireland’s energy usage is provided  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      The Council has been asked to respond to DSD's new policy to support owner occupiers living in areas undergoing major redevelopment. This policy addresses the problem that ‘whilst there

are a range of interventions already available to allow social or private tenants displaced by regeneration activity to remain in their community post regeneration, there is no similar support available for owner occupiers displaced by this activity.’ ‘Whilst compensation is paid [to owner occupiers], it can often fall short of allowing those displaced owner occupiers from buying back into the new housing put back in their old community. These proposals provide opportunities for owner occupiers to remain in their community through the provision of two new options.’

Summary of the proposed options

Option 1: Social Housing House Sales Scheme (HSS) Early Buy Out

Owner occupiers already have the opportunity to be re-housed as social tenants in the community post regeneration. However they would need to rent the property for five years before becoming eligible to buy their home and become an owner occupier once again. This option simply removes the five year rule; effectively allowing owner occupiers to be re-housed in a social house within the area under redevelopment and to immediately avail of the House Sales Scheme under similar right to buy arrangements as already exist.

Option 2: Shared Equity

Whilst compensation equating to the full market value of their property is paid to owner occupiers displaced for regeneration activity, it may fall short of the value for a new home put back in the redevelopment or regeneration area. Many owner occupiers have little or no means of making up the shortfall between the valuation of the old and new property. The introduction of Shared Equity gives owner occupiers the opportunity to purchase a new home in the community post regeneration, with any difference in the value of their old and new home held by the Housing Association putting back the new housing.

When availing of this option, the owner occupier must invest the full amount of the compensation from their original property into the new property. The equity share held by the Housing Association will not attract a rental charge provided the ownership of the property remains unchanged.

There are no specific questions for the consultation.

The full proposal is available at:

http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/consultation_document_july_2010.doc

A report was presented to Committee on the 15th September noting a nil response to the consultation as no responses had been received from council staff. It was agreed that Committee, however, that Councillors thought that it was important for Council to respond on this policy question and that several Councillors had specific comments they wished to make.

Democratic Services, on behalf of the Policy & Business Development Unit, re-circulated the consultation document and received the comments described below.

Key Issues

      Option 1: Social Housing House Sales Scheme (HSS)

Early Buy Out

1.   Discount – is the purchaser entitled to a discount? It would appear from the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.