Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Councillors Ekin and B. Kelly.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1          Relevant Background Information

1.1       The Shaping Our Future Regional Development Strategy (RDS) 2025 10 Year Review consultation document was launched on the 6th January 2011. The RDS is an overarching spatial framework to influence the future distribution of activities throughout the Region to 2025.  A public consultation process was initiated, requesting for comments to be submitted by the 31st March.

1.2       The Council has advocated that the RDS should play a critical role in setting the context for the continued development of Belfast as the driver of growth for the region. The recognition in the consultation document of the importance of the city to the region is positive and linked to the issue of continued population loss in Belfast.

1.3       The RDS should maintain the balance of future growth in favour of Belfast, as the driver of regional growth, and provide formal linkages to any linked Investment Strategy proposals such as the transportation plan, infrastructure proposals and the emphasis on public transport provision and connectivity. The current consultation document states that the RDS will inform and influence these strategies.

1.4       The Draft response, appended for consideration by the Committee, has been developed following internal consultations and with input from key external stakeholders.

2          Key Issues

2.1       The response to the consultation on the ‘10 Year Review of ‘Shaping our future, Regional Development Strategy 2025’ has been prepared to provide the views of the Council and provide a strategic contribution to assist the department in the review process, particularly in light of the current work being undertaken in respect of the 2011 review of the Belfast City Masterplan.

2.2       The Belfast CityMasterplan sets out the Council’s strategic planning and regeneration framework. It was first completed in 2004 to formulate the city’s response to Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan and to set out a strategy to support economic competitiveness until 2020.  It is presently undergoing review and this representation reflects the key regional planning issues emerging from that process.

2.3       The response is set out in two parts, the first dealing with strategic issues and the second dealing with the more specific responses gathered from internal consideration and engagement with key stakeholders.

2.4       Emerging Masterplan Themes: The 2011 Masterplan is currently reviewing the key issues of economic competitiveness that Belfast has to address in order to perform its core city role. The changed economic context is recognised in that economic recovery will be slow and that investment resources in all sectors will be scarce. However, the priority of developing a strong and growing core city remains the Masterplan’s primary focus, and a number of emerging themes, relevant to the Regional Development Strategy, will be advanced to help Belfast achieve this;

-     Continue to develop the role of the city as a economic driver and location of future employment that support regional economic prosperity

-     Recognise the importance of the centre city zone that links the university area to the harbour  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.