Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were received from Councillors M. Browne, Bostock, B. Kelly, Kirkpatrick, A. Maskey and Mhic Giolla Mhín.

            The Committee agreed to defer consideration of a report on the Titanic Quarter to enable representatives of Titanic Quarter Limited, Titanic Foundation Limited, Titanic Watch and the East Belfast Partnership Board to be in attendance.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      Over the last number of years Members have been brought a number of reports connected to marking the centenary of the RMS Titanic in 2012 (October 2007 and September 2009).  The purpose of this paper is to request Council’s support for the creation of a programme of activities and initiatives to mark the centenary of the RMS Titanic in 2012 and other notable historical dates and anniversaries in this year.  This paper is based on the attached Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) commissioned business case that provides strategic objectives in order to make the 2012 year economically and culturally beneficial for Belfast and Northern Ireland.

      2012: A Unique Opportunity for Belfast & Northern Ireland

      The year 2012 has the potential to be a significant milestone for Belfast and for Northern Ireland.  The Council and its partners will see the fruition of significant capital investment projects including: the Titanic Signature Project; Lyric Theatre; The MAC; the opening of the restored S.S. Nomadic and the completion and opening of the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre.  These attractions will represent a genuinely new experience that will provide Belfast with significant opportunities that can be capitalised on.  In 2012 there will also be a convergence of high profile anniversaries such as: the Titanic (100th anniversary); the 50th anniversary of the Belfast Festival at Queens; the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 150th anniversary of the Ulster Hall.  Other important historical anniversaries will take place in 2012 and in the years beyond, and there will also be an increasing interest in the World Police and Fire Games due to take place in 2013 and a focus on Derry/Londonderry as the first UK Capital of Culture also in 2013.

      On a global scale 2012 will also be an extremely important year, with London hosting the Olympic and Paralympic games as well as the Cultural Olympiad which will lead up to the Games.  In Belfast the key manifestation of the London 2012 Games will be the installation of a ‘Live Site’ screen that will link Belfast to regional capitals across the UK and to the 2012 Games.  Overall the attention of local, national and international media may be focused on London but the year represents significant additional PR opportunities for Belfast, although the Belfast challenge will be to ensure that the focus on the London Games can be utilised for Belfast.  As a result it is vital for Belfast and its public partners to have a co-ordinated an inspirational message that succeeds in drawing the world’s gaze towards this part of the globe.

      2012 also represents a unique opportunity to inspire Belfast’s tourism and hospitality industry as well as local people.  Belfast residents are very important to a successful tourism industry, firstly as they act as ambassadors and play a key role in a tourist’s experience of the city but also as they are a key influencer in the Visiting Friends and Relatives  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives reminded the Members that a draft response to the Strategic Regeneration Frameworks consultation had been considered by the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee at its meeting on 6th August.  At that meeting, the Committee had agreed to consider the responses in more detail through a series of area briefings which had subsequently been held during August and September.

            It was reported that, following those briefings, a refined response had been prepared which reflected the comments and issues which had been raised.  There were a number of additional areas which been identified by the Members which now had been included within the response.  These were:

            The Head of Economic Initiatives explained that, if the Committee were minded to approve the response, it would be submitted to the Department for Social Development which, in turn, would submit an overarching paper to the Northern Ireland Executive on the key recommendations within the Strategic Regeneration Frameworks in order to influence the Comprehensive Spending Review.  The Department wished to reflect the Council response to the Strategic Regeneration Frameworks within such a draft paper.

            The Committee approved the draft response to the Strategic Regeneration Frameworks, a copy of which was available on the Council’s website, subject to the inclusion of a reference to the Lisburn Road in the response to the South Regeneration Framework and the removal of references to the Montgomery Road in the East Framework.