Agenda and minutes

            An apology for inability to attend was reported from Alderman Copeland.

            The minutes of the meeting of 5th December, 2024 were taken as read and signed as correct. It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 9th January, 2025.

            No declarations of interest were recorded.

            The Monitoring, Learning and Reporting Officer reminded the Members that, at its meeting on 5th December, 2024, the Committee had noted that Belfast was ranked 9th place in the 2024 Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index), the highest-ranking destination in the UK and Ireland, and agreed to invite Visit Belfast to attend a future meeting of the Committee to provide an overview of the measures and initiatives which had been undertaken to achieve the high ranking.

            Accordingly, Mr G. Lennon, Chief Executive, Visit Belfast, and Ms. J. Callen, Sustainability and Impact Manger, Visit Belfast, were welcomed to the meeting.     

            Mr. Lennon provided the Committee with background information on Visit Belfast and highlighted its core purpose, namely, ‘’to create and service visitors for Belfast and Northern Ireland in order to generate economic benefit and inclusive growth, creating jobs and prosperity for the city region, enabling Belfast to become a more sustainable place to visit, meet and live in.’’

            He explained that, following the Council’s declaration of a climate emergency in 2019, the launch of its Belfast Resilience Strategy Climate Plan in 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic, Visit Belfast had committed to the development of a sustainable tourism plan. He highlighted the launch of Visit Belfast’s first Sustainability Policy and its commitment to embedding sustainability across the organisation.

            Ms. Callen highlighted that, as Belfast’s Destination Management Organisation (DMO), Visit Belfast first participated in the GDS-Index in 2020, with Belfast ranking at 47th on the GDS-Index. She reported that, through improvements at pace, Belfast had made significant progress to achieve its current rank of 9th out of 100 global destinations.

            She provided the Committee with a detailed overview of the actions Visit Belfast had taken in respect of sustainability, including:

·        Organisation - launch of its three-year tourism strategy and business plan, Sustainability Policy, appointment of a dedicated Sustainability and Impact team, implementation of sustainability Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and an Annual Impact Report, and adopting a triple bottom line approach;

·        Industry – collaboration with partners in the tourism industry that included cooperation with the Council to roll out an initiative to help tourism businesses gain independent sustainability accreditation;

·        City – annual GDS assessment, working with the Council on the delivery of the Department for Communities Access and Inclusion Programme and the upcoming Inclusive Tourism Programme, focus on neighbourhood tourism, tourism carbon footprint measurement, and engagement with residents; and

·        Visitors and Clients – green accommodation and active travel, cruise sustainability plan, cruise community fund, events sustainability framework, carbon measurement of business events, sustainable experiences and itineraries for tour operators and the launch of Visit Belfast’s Impact and Legacy guide.

            She highlighted the following initiatives:

·        Change the Menu. For Good – a project in collaboration with industry partners to raise funds and supplies for those experiencing food poverty in Belfast;

·        Belfast Reusable Cup – a 12-month pilot aimed at eliminating 2 million single use plastic cups in entertainment venues in Belfast; and

·        Educational Outreach – an initiative in collaboration with the Education Authority to help students  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4a

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1To update members on the recent Gold award to Belfast City Council in the 2024 Business in the Community, Environmental Benchmarking Survey (up from Silver in 2023).

2.0Recommendations

2.1The Committee is requested to note the 2024 award and agree to submission to the 2025 survey.

3.0Main report

3.1Background - 2024 Business in the Community, Environmental Benchmarking Survey

3.2In July 2023, the Council made it’s first annual submission to the Business in the Community, Environmental Benchmarking Survey. The submission was undertaken to support baselining of environmental activity in the organisation and to benchmark Belfast City Council to other organisations  in the region. It also demonstrates publicly our commitments to being environmentally responsible and transparent and helps us to track our progress over time and see how far we have come. Last year Council scored a silver award.

3.3The Survey is Northern Ireland’s leading environmental benchmarking exercise. It is a free, annual, self-disclosure exercise open to members and non-members of Business in the Community. There are five levels of awards ranging from Platinum at the top through Gold, Silver, Bronze and Green. The Survey is split into the following sections:

3.4132 organisations took part in the survey this year, a 9% increase from 2023. Belfast City Council scored 79% against an average of 76%. The areas that received full marks this year and therefore helped achieve the gold award were around strategic decision making (for example the inclusion of a large programe of work on climate and environment under the ‘Our Planet’ section in the Belfast Agenda), leadership (the establishment of the Our Planet Board, City Resilience and Climate Committee, and Belfast Climate Commission) and publically reporting to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). The staff travel survey also demonstrated the Council’s commitment to measuring scope 3 emissions and the development of the council’s draft Climate Action Plan (CAP) helped move the organisation up a level in the results. Recycling of old laptops, participation in the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and the recent work around single use plastics also gained positive marks.

3.5Organisations also receive a Gap Analysis Report that provides feedback on its score in each section, enabling us to identify areas where action can be taken to improve environmental impacts and increase future scores in subsequent Surveys.

3.6One of the areas that the gap analysis highlighted for improvement was around the council’s use of renewable energy. This year funding secured from the shared island fund will be used to install solar panels on the Donegal Pass community centre (plans for procurement in January 2025).

3.7There were several changes to the Survey questions this year, scored and unscored, to continue to challenge participants included an increased focus on commitments, policies or actions in place to maintain, enhance and conserve nature and biodiversity.

3.8There are three other councils that participate in the survey - Mid and East  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1To provide an update on the UP2030 Net Zero (NZ) Neighbourhood Framework, including the work to date across the priority themes of active travel, greening and retrofit, stakeholder engagement, and key milestones for 2025, including holding a Members briefing workshop.

2.0Recommendation

2.1The Committee is asked to:

                                      I.         To note the progress to date and future key milestones for the UP2030 Net Zero Neighbourhoods Horizon Europe funded project to develop a Net Zero Neighbourhood Framework.

                                     II.         To note that a Members’ briefing workshop in early summer on the emerging draft Framework prior to taking the final draft Framework to Committee in the autumn.

                                   III.         To note the 3 main themes of the Framework around Greening, Retrofit and Active Travel, and how the UP2030 project can be upscaled to help build understanding and capacity for communities about NZ as well as integrate and inform both local community plans and Council workstreams such as the emerging area planning approach; climate-related work programmes; housing led regeneration programme and specifically how it will fit with the Belfast Agenda Community Planning Boards Action Plans.

                                   IV.         To note that an update report on UP2030 was brought to the City Growth & Regeneration Committee yesterday, 15 January 2025.

3.0Background

            Members will recall that Council is involved in a three-year Horizon Europe consortium programme called Urban Planning 2030 (UP2030) that aims to guide cities through the transitions required to meet their climate neutrality ambitions. The City Regeneration and Development and Climate teams were successful in joint bid of €204,250/£176,024 to further an integrated approach between urban planning, achieving net zero and aspects of resilience. At the most recent update to the City Regeneration & Development and Climate and City Resilience Committees in June 2024 Members were reminded that Belfast is one of 11 pilot cities, and the focus of the project is on the development of a net zero neighbourhood framework around three thematic areas: active travel, greening and retrofit. These themes link across to the UP2030 pillars of a fair and just transition, carbon neutrality and resilience. The Framework will be informed by data, stakeholder engagement and the use of climate tools to support analysis, mapping and engagement in the pilot area.

3.1The geographic area of the UP2030 pilot was agreed at the City Growth and Regeneration Committee in March 2023 and covers the Linen Quarter and surrounding city centre communities of Barrack Street, Sandy Row, Donegall Pass and the Market.  Whilst this work was undertaken within a defined boundary the purpose was to produce a framework that could be adapted and used within all communities and districts to set forward net zero tailored approaches, attract funding and deliver climate adaption plans tailored for the uses of that specific district.

3.2Over the past year and a half there has been engagement with communities and wider city partners at each key stage. Members received an update at the CG&R and Climate  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.