Agenda item

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 5th November, it had 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 Belfast Area Partnership to be in attendance.  Prior to the deputations being admitted, the Director of Development submitted for the Committee’s consideration the undernoted report:

 

“1        Relevant Background Information

 

1.1       Titanic Quarter, one of Europe's largest exciting waterfront developments, will transform a 185-acre site on the banks of Belfast's river Lagan into a new mixed use maritime quarter with a mile of water frontage and a range of investment opportunities including over 7,500 apartments, 900,000 sq. m. of business, education, office and research and development floor space together with hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars and other leisure uses.

 

1.2       During its 20-year development plan it is estimated that 15,000 construction and 20,000 new jobs within the city will be created as a direct result from the development of the Titanic Quarter including a wide variety of employment opportunities particularly in construction, creative media, light industries such as health and environmental technology, ICT and the growing business, financial, hospitality, tourism, leisure and ancillary service industries.  Members should note there are already 70 firms based in Titanic Quarter providing over 2,000 jobs, with a further 500 construction workers currently on site. 

 

1.3       As part of Titanic Quarter’s ongoing redevelopment, it now offers a competitive and unique environment as a potential film location.  Film and television productions such as ‘Your Highness’, ‘City of Ember’ and ‘Mickybo and Me’ have been filmed in the historic buildings on the site including ‘The Paint Hall’ and the former Harland and Wolff Headquarters building and Drawing Offices.  The Paint Hall, where the component parts of ships were once painted, is now a massive build-space, containing four 16,000sqft “cells” all connected by an internal road and streets.  US broadcaster HBO, producers of ‘The Sopranos’ are currently on site and could potentially be located in Belfast for a further five to seven years. 400 individuals are presently working in The Paint Hall studio in a range of occupations from construction and electrical engineering to make-up, dressmaking, catering and other specialist areas. 

 

            Members will also note the American banking giant Citi recently announced the creation of 500 new financial services jobs over the next 5 years.  This is an extremely significant boost for the local economy, particularly in terms of job numbers and the high quality of the positions (440 new high-quality roles in its technology and operations divisions and a further 60 new specialist posts in its legal and compliance division).

 

1.4       For the relevance of new Members, the current Master Plan for the area divides Titanic Quarter into 5 distinct Phases:

 

            Phase 1: 1 million sqft mixed-use development adjacent to the Odyssey Arena and Pavilion.  Phase 1 encompasses the ‘the Arc' residential complex, the Gateway Office complex where Citibank are located, Premier Inn, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and a new level education campus for Belfast Metropolitan College due to open in August 2011.

 

            Phase 2: 3.3 million sqft high mixed-use development offering residential, commercial, retail and leisure facilities.  At the heart of this Phase is the Titanic Signature Project (now to be branded ‘Titanic Belfast’), the former Harland & Wolff headquarters building and the RMS Titanic and RMS Olympic slipways which will form a world-class visitor destination.

 

            Phases 3 – 5: Whilst these phases are mainly at conceptual design stage, approval has recently been granted for a Financial Service Campus in Phase 3 offering 600,000 sqft of flexible, agile workspace on completion, total occupancy costs 60% lower than Dublin and Global Tier 1 Internet Access.

 

1.5       Titanic Quarter Limited (TQL) is the company taking forward the development of the Titanic Quarter in a joint venture with the owners of the land, BelfastHarbour Commissioners.  As a condition of the legal agreements, TQL entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the council, which sets out its commitment to actively work with the Council, key government departments and the community to optimize the city and community benefits of the development of the Titanic Quarter.  Mike Smith, the Chief Executive of TQL, will be present at the meeting to update Members on the work of TQL on engaging with the community. 

 

1.6       Members have previously noted that for legal and tax reasons, a charitable company known as Titanic Foundation Limited (TFL) has been formed to oversee the building and operation of the Titanic Signature Project.  The TFL Board consists of seven independent trustees.  The present Chairman of the board is Jonathan Hegan, a past chairman of RPS Consulting Engineers.  Other members of the Board include Sammy Douglas, Noel Rooney, Nicki Dunne and Brian Ambrose.  The acting Chief Executive of TFL is Brian Gregory and he will attend the Committee meeting to update the Committee on progress.  Titanic Foundation Limited is required by the legal agreements to regularly keep the funders updated on progress and TFL has confirmed it will be happy to address the Council on a regular basis to keep the Council appraised of the progress of the project. 

 

2          Key Issues

 

2.1       Titanic Signature Project (‘Titanic Belfast’)

 

            Members will be aware of the financial commitment of £10million to be made by Council towards the Titanic Signature Project (known as ‘Titanic Belfast’), an iconic tourism signature project for the City and Northern Ireland.  This decision was underpinned by the fact that the project was leveraging £90million of public and private sector investment within the City and creating a range of additional benefits for Belfast.

 

2.2       ‘Titanic Belfast’ was first identified in NITB’s Strategic Framework for Action 2004-2007 as one of five key tourism signature projects for development to enhance the Northern Ireland tourism offering. Identified for its potential to create international stand out and world class excellence for Northern Ireland, ‘Titanic Belfast’ is based on the Titanic and Maritime Belfast Heritage theme.This iconic building will be located in the heart of Titanic Quarter and will be opened by 2012 the 100^th anniversary of the launch of the vessel. It will showcase the story of the Titanic and the wider theme of shipbuilding and seafaring in Belfast, including the engineering, industrial, social, cultural and economic origins and connections.

 

2.3       Benefits to Belfast

 

            It is estimated the following economic benefits will result directly from Titanic Belfast:

 

-     An average of 400,000 visitors annually

-     165,000 new visitors to Belfast (two-thirds from out-of-state)

-     Annual visitor spend of £30 million in the local economy

-     250 new jobs in visitor servicing and conferencing

-     Direct and indirect employment creation of over 1,000 jobs arising from the expenditure of additional visitors to NI.

-     Significant direct and indirect employment generation of up to 1,000 man-years in construction

-     Large scale banqueting facilities that will have real potential to attract new conferences to the city – generating an estimated £6 million per annum

 

            In addition to the direct economic benefits noted above there are also indirect benefits resulting from Titanic Belfast and the regeneration of Titanic Quarter including improved civic pride and social integration.

 

2.4       Rates Contribution

 

            The Titanic Quarter development has the potential to make a significant contribution towards Belfast’s economic future. An independent review of the rateable value from the development of Titanic Quarter undertaken by the Council’s Building Control section in liaison with Land and Property Services estimates that on completion of Phase 2 of Titanic Quarter (by 2015) the annual rate income is estimated to be at minimum £7.8 million.  This would equate to £3.36million (at a minimum) annual district rate income.  This additional rate income would represent 3.4% on the district rate per annum. 

 

2.5       Memorandum of Understanding with Titanic Quarter Ltd

 

            Members will recall that as a condition to the Council’s funding for Titanic Belfast, Titanic Quarter Ltd (TQL) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Council in June 2009.  The MOU sets out a clear commitment  from TQL to actively work with the Council, key government departments and the community to ensure that people from all over the City have the capacity to access the opportunities arising from the regeneration of the 185-acre site.

 

2.6       There is no doubt the development of the Titanic Quarter is a major opportunity for the people of Belfast and Northern Ireland. It will generate not just significant economic benefits but a wide range of social benefits which will have the potential to improve the quality of life for everyone in the City. 

 

2.7       The MoU, the first of its kind with a developer, brings the Council, Government, communities, training providers and the private sector together to ensure that the citizens of Belfast can access the opportunities presented and maximise the benefits from the Titanic Quarter development.  It presents Council with a significant opportunity to ensure the development is integrated with the rest of Belfast and that local community’s benefit from development of the site.  The MoU shall remain in effect for a maximum of five years, subject to annual review. 

 

2.8       The current MoU sets out the governance structure and management arrangements which are in place for taking this process forward. This structure involves a Strategic Advisory Board, a Co-ordinating Steering Group and six Thematic Action Groups covering the priority areas of:

 

-     Employment, Education and Skills (TQ Work)

-     Accessibility and Transport (TQ Access)

-     Housing (TQ Housing)

-     Community Outreach (TQ Outreach)

-     Tourism Development and Promotion (TQ Tourism)

-     Quality Open Space and Public Art (TQ Space).

 

2.9       Role of Belfast City Council

 

            Members will recall that at a meeting of the Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on 5 March 2010, it was agreed Development Committee would take the primary role in relation to the implementation of the MoU while SP&R Committee would exercise oversight of the construction and funding elements.  It was also agreed that joint meetings of both Committees (to which all Councillors would be invited) would take place twice a year to exercise oversight and influence over all the key stakeholders who will need to work together to ensure that the development of the Titanic Quarter benefits all of the City.

 

2.10     At a further meeting of SP&R Committee on 18 June 2010 it was subsequently agreed that in addition to the above arrangements, an All-Party Group should be established as a key mechanism for Elected Members’ engagement on issues relating to Titanic Belfast.  At a Special Meeting of Development Committee on 5 November the Committee also agreed that an All-Party Steering Group be established to oversee the Council’s input into the 2012 Programme and the development of Titanic Quarter.

 

2.11     Construction Update

 

            Construction on Titanic Belfast is now well underway and is on target to be completed by the first quarter of 2012 in time for RMS Titanic's centenary. There has been £26.1m expenditure certified to date.  Appendix 3 contains up-to-date images of the construction of the project and Bryan Gregory will provide a further update to the meeting.

 

            In terms of design and operation, Titanic Foundation Limited (TFL), the independent charitable trust established to oversee the delivery of Titanic Belfast, is currently considering proposals for the inclusion of an Immersive Theatre as opposed to the previously agreed Flying Theatre concept.  Clearly, such consideration is subject to the impact on projected tourist numbers and cost.  The Strategic Policy and Resources Committee considered the Immersive Theatre proposals at its meeting on 20 August 2010 and was supportive of the concept.

 

2.13     Memorandum of Understanding: Achievements to Date

 

            A summary of current achievements against the MoU work programme are detailed below:

 

-     Governance Structure: Agreement has been sought by all government departments including DETI, DEL, DOE, DCAL, DRD and DSD to attend bi-annual meetings of the Strategic Advisory Board and to commit appropriate resources to ‘champion’ or participate in the six Thematic Action Groups. Two meetings of the Board have been held to date. 

 

-     Three meetings of the Co-ordinating Steering Group have taken place involving Council, Titanic Quarter Ltd and a lead representative on behalf of the Belfast Area Partnerships to monitor progress of the Action Groups and to liaise with Strategic Advisory Board representatives.  It is recommneded the composition of this group be enhanced by inviting the Thematic Action Group ‘Champions’ to join this group, as well as Susie McCullough of NITB to provide reports on progress being made by a number of Titanic themed working groups currently working under the auspices of the NI 2012 Programme Group, chaired by the DETI Permanent Secretary.

 

-     Four of the six thematic action groups have been established and are making positive progress including TQ Work, TQ Housing, TQ Access and TQ Space. A summary of achievements for each of the action groups are contained in Appendix 4.

 

-     TQ Tourism - the activities originally envisaged to be delivered by this group are now the subject of a workgroup led by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB). NITB has established a number of working groups to help direct and coordinate a successful programme of activity for 2012. A Product Development Stakeholder Group including representatives from Council, Titanic Foundation Ltd and East Belfast Partnership is currently tasked with developing the potential for tourism growth arising from the Titanic Signature Product and is essentially fulfilling the role originally envisaged for the TQ Tourism workstream. 

 

-     In recognition of concerns recently expressed by the Belfast Area Partnerships (BAPs) regarding the need to maximise the tourism benefits from Titanic Belfast and to ensure a programme of tourism trails are developed, connecting with other tourism products within the city,  it is recommended the following two options be considered:

 

-     Option1 - Council hosts regular meetings with BAPs and NITB to ensure that activities are put in place which enhance the tourism potential of Titanic Quarter and its connection to the wider industrial and maritime heritage of Belfast.

 

-     Option 2 - Susie McCullough who is co-ordinating the work of the four NITB groups attends the Co-ordinating Steering meetings and provides an update on progress to ensure this dovetails with the work under the MoU.  Work currently undertaken by this group is documented in Appendix 4.

 

-     The TQ Outreach thematic action group will be established early in the New Year to maximise the engagement of Belfast’s communities in the regeneration of Titanic Quarter.  Council representation is via Cate Taggart, Community Development Manager.  It is envisioned this group will develop a plan to address the engagement priorities documented by each of the other groups.  

 

-     Early work in the development of a Community Development Framework for Council has identified community engagement as one of the four key strands of any community development approach.   As part of the roll out of this framework, a pilot project will be developed to design and implement a meaningful, effective and comprehensive engagement programme to ensure that all communities across the city have both ownership of and access to all the opportunities presented by Titanic Quarter.  The pilot activity will build upon the early engagement work undertaken by East Belfast Partnership and where possible will utilise council assets, relationships and knowledge.

 

-     The two thematic action groups where potential actions are most immediate are TQ Work and TQ Tourism.  Following useful feedback from the Belfast Area Partnerships, it is proposed that in the short-term, Council hosts regular meetings with BAPs, NITB and the TQ Work ‘champion’ to ensure all opportunities are communicated effectively to local communities and delivered in a timely manner.

 

-     Internal resources: a lead officer has been appointed within Council to engage with Titanic Quarter Ltd, community representatives and relevant Government Departments (e.g. DETI, DEL, DSD etc) to oversee the governance and management arrangements for the MoU.  Departmental nominees have also been appointed to actively participate on all thematic action groups. 

 

-     Secondment from the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL): funding has been secured from the DEL to employ a full-time fixed term secondee (Roisin Sloan) who is located within the Council’s Economic Development Unit and is proactively working  with all relevant stakeholders to support and co-ordinate the developmental work around the employment, education and skills thematic action plan. The existing secondment agreement commenced on 7 December 2009 and is due to end on 10 December 2010.  Discussions are currently underway with DEL with a view to extending the duration of the secondment. 

 

-     Social clauses: Social clauses in the construction element of Titanic Belfast which have been applied are based upon government guidelines as set out by the Central Procurement Directorate. The existing social clauses require that Harcourt Construction NI Ltd (or their suppliers/subcontractors) employ 1 long-term unemployed person for every £5million of public money and recruit 1 apprentice for every £2million.  With a contract value of £76million, this equates to 15 long term unemployed (LTU) and 38 apprentices.  To date, Harcourt has reported that 18 long-term unemployed clients and 2 apprentices have secured work on the Titanic Belfast build.  Work has also been ongoing with Harcourt to provide additional opportunities outside of Titanic Belfast for both the long term unemployed and apprentices in builds such as the ARC apartments and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).

 

City-wide Engagement

 

-     Service Level Agreement with East Belfast Partnership:   To ensure that the opportunities which emerge as part of the Memorandum of Understanding process and the development of the Titanic Quarter is made fully accessible to all parts of the city, as requested by Elected Members as a condition of any Council funding committed to the TSP project, the East Belfast Partnership Board has put in place an agreed protocol of engagement with the other Area Partnership Boards.  This protocol provides for an effective mechanism to ensure that relevant stakeholder groups (including neighbourhood partnership boards) across the city are kept fully engaged in the process and that emerging opportunities are considered within an overall city-wide context.  The BAPs (as a collective forum) have nominated a lead Partnership Board, to participate, on behalf of all the Partnership Boards, on each of the Thematic Groups, i.e.

 

-     Employability – North Belfast Partnership Board

-     Access and Transport – West Belfast Partnership Board

-     Housing and Outreach – East Belfast Partnership Board

-     Tourism – South Belfast Partnership Board

-     Public Art and Open Space – Greater Shankill Partnership Board

 

            The Lead Partnership Board is responsible for ensuring that the key issues emerging from the local discussions / engagement undertaken by each of the Partnership Boards across the city inform the discussions within the Thematic Groups and that the emerging decisions and opportunities are communicated.  This approach provides the opportunity to effectively engage, disseminate information and seek local views on the Memorandum of Understanding and wider Titanic Quarter development; optimising already established structures and avoiding the need to create anything new.  A wide range of activities have already been delivered as part of this process including:

 

-     TQ community information events held in each of the five Partnership Board areas offering attendees information about the developments taking place at Titanic Quarter; how the project will engage with communities and information on future employment and training opportunities (170 attendees)

-     TQ community open days offering members of the public information about the plans for the area (200 attendees)

-     Development of the first Titanic Quarter community e-zine for community stakeholder use

-     Development of a new community section of the Titanic Quarter Ltd webpage

      (www. titanicquarter.com/tqcommunity).

 

-     Financial Commitment from TQL - Titanic Quarter Ltd currently funds the support cost for the SLA up to a value of £25k.  The Council has been informed that Titanic Quarter Ltd is not in a position to extend this contract beyond 30 November 2010, and as such alternative means of engagement with local communities are required. It is suggested the pilot project referred to earlier, involving regular meetings hosted by the Council of the Belfast Area Partnerships, the NITB and the TQ work champion will facilitate engagement with communities to ensure both ownership of and access to all the opportunities presented by Titanic Quarter. 

 

-     Since 2009, and in addition to its current funding commitment for the SLA, TQL has also provided a community fund totalling £548,909 (£87,700 in-kind) to support relevant community related and employability projects which are connected to Titanic Quarter.  It is the intention of TQL to commit a further £100k to this fund during the 2011/12 financial year. 

 

-     Titanic Watch Representations:  Titanic Watch is a cross-community group of community activists made up of local communities from inner East Belfast.  Representatives of the group will attend the meeting to express their views on their representation on the various working groups within the MoU.  Specifically they wish to be represented on the Strategic Advisory Board and the Co-ordinating Steering Group.  At present community representation on these groups is through the local representative of the Area Partnership nominated by the Belfast Area Partnerships.

 

-     Construction Supply Chain Model: As a means of addressing the potential under-representation of Belfast-based sub-contractors – and subsequently improving the number of local apprentices benefiting from the development – Council has been successful in securing funding from Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) to support the development of a Construction Supplier Model.  This funding will allow us to support 50 sub-contractors from the local area to take part in a development programme which will improve their chances of gaining work on the build. 

 

            Although we had initially planned the project would focus on Titanic Quarter, the slowdown in the building work because of current market conditions means we will now consider how this model can apply outside of Titanic Quarter as well.  This might include the Council’s capital programme and other public and private developments taking place – particularly those projects in which Council has made some investment. 

 

            A tender for the delivery of the programme will be issued in January 2011.  Members are asked to delegate authority to the Director of Development, in association with the Chairman of Development Committee, to approve the most economically advantageous tender, subject to a form of contract being drawn up by Legal Services.

 

3    Resource Implications

 

3.1Financial and Human Resources

 

      There are resource implications in terms of Council committing both officer and Member time in engaging and overseeing the established governance arrangements for the MoU.

 

4    Equality and Good Relations Considerations

 

      None.

 

5    Recommendations

 

5.1Members are asked to:

 

-     Note the contents of this report and the benefits that will accrue from the creation of Titanic Belfast and the regeneration of Titanic Quarter. 

-     Note good progress is being made in terms of a number of the MoU work groups.

-     Consider and agree that a pilot project will be developed to design and implement a meaningful, effective and comprehensive engagement programme, ensuring that communities have both ownership of and access to all the opportunities presented by Titanic Quarter (TQ Outreach).

-     In the context of the above, consider the request by Titanic Watch for representation on the Strategic Advisory Group and Co-ordinating Steering Group.

-     Agree the most appropriate way forward for TQ Tourism.

-     Approve the proposal to delegate authority to the Director of Development, in association with the Chairman of Development Committee, to approve the most economically advantageous tender for the delivery of the Supplier programme, subject to a form of contract being drawn up by Legal Services.

-     Note Committee’s recent decision to establish an All-Party Steering Group to oversee the Council’s input into the 2012 Programme and the development of Titanic Quarter.

 

6    Decision Tracking

 

      If recommendations are accepted to realign the activities of TQ Outreach and to modify TQ Tourism, an update will be presented to a future meeting of the Development Committee.

 

      Time Frame:   December 2010

      Reporting Officer:  John McGrillen

7    Key to Abbreviations

 

      BAPs – Belfast Area Partnerships

      DEL – Department for Employment and Learning

      DETI – Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

      DOE – Department of Environment

      DRD – Department for Regional Development

      DSD – Department for Social Development

      DCAL – Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure

      EBP – East Belfast Partnership

      LEMIS – Local Employment Intermediary Service

      LTU – Long Term Unemployed

      MoU – Memorandum of Understanding

      NITB – Northern Ireland Tourist Board

      SLA – Service Level Agreement

      TSP – Titanic Signature Project

      TFL – Titanic Foundation Limited

      TQL – Titanic Quarter Limited

 

8    Documents Attached

 

      Appendix 4 - Thematic Action Groups: Progress to date

 

Thematic Action Groups:  Progress to date                     Appendix 4

 

TQ Work

 

Aim

 

To maximise the employment, education and skills opportunities arising from the development of Titanic Quarter, for all Belfastcommunities.

 

Background

 

·         Meetings held to date: 24 February; 23 March; 16 June and 22 September 2010. 

·         Members include the private sector (Titanic Quarter Ltd; Premier Inn; Harcourt Construction and Patton Group); public sector (Council; Belfast Metropolitan College; Construction Skills, Department for Employment and Learning (champion), Strategic Investment Board; Equality Commission) and the community and voluntary sector (Titanic Watch, North Belfast Partnership and Local Employment Intermediary Service).

 

Achievements

 

·         Social clauses – Ongoing work with developer to meet social clauses for LTU and apprentices.  Harcourt has reported that 18 long term unemployed and 2 apprentices have secured work on Titanic Belfast. 

·         Harcourt Development NI – 4 work placements provided in Titanic Belfast

·         Premier Inn – 50+ people assisted to obtain employment.  Application process was accommodated via the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) jobs and benefits office network.  1300 application forms were issued and 750 interviews took place over a 3 day open recruitment event.  100 individuals were invited back to second interview and 22 unemployed people secured full time employment. 

·         A combined Bridge to Employment and HARTE (Hospitality and Retail Training for Employment) Programme was designed to help unemployed people find work by providing training that is relevant to the employment opportunities offered by Premier Inn.  6 unemployed persons have secured full time employment.

·         DEL has also funded the Job Assist Centres (JACs), the community-based employment service based in the west of the city to undertake a pre-employment programme for those furthest removed from the labour market, helping them develop the skills required by Premier Inn. 

·         Chef Open Day – hosted for Premier Inn and 6 attendees secured full time employment.

·         Citigroup –DEL, in partnership with Invest NI and Citigroup have rolled out a skills academy for 40 trainees.  This commenced on 12 August and will run for 12 weeks. 

·         Northern IrelandSciencePark – Considering collaborative initiatives to address skills shortages in the ICT sector.

·         Titanic Quarter Ltd – An opportunity currently exists with Titanic Quarter Ltd for a graduate building surveyor with a degree in Quantity Surveying, Civil Engineering or Property Management.  This opportunity is an initial 6 month work placement and the successful applicant will work on the newly developed Arc Apartments.

 

TQ Housing

 

Aim

 

To ensure appropriate balance in housing provision on Titanic Quarter.

 

Background

 

·         Meetings held to date: 12 August, 2010. 

·         Members include: DSD (champion), DOE, NIHE, TQL, BAPs, Titanic Watch and Council

 

Achievements:

 

·         Members are encouraged by the concept of achieving mixed tenure housing in single development and community representatives are fully supportive of providing a shared space and a neutral city centre.

·         The group is making an assumption that up to 250 units could potentially be earmarked for social housing.  A condition in the original planning agreement is that a minimum of 15% of the residential accommodation shall be allocated for affordable housing of which a minimum of 10% shall be allocated within Phase 2.  The remainder (5%) may be in offsite locations in the Belfast Metropolitan Area. 

·         There are no opportunities for the provision of social and affordable housing in Phase 1 (476 apartments to be complete by end of year) and therefore, until market conditions improve and Phase 2 commences,  the only work the group can complete at this stage is preparatory work:

o        seeking clear information on the precise planning conditions that relate to the provision of social and affordable housing in Titanic Quarter in Phase II,

o        seeking a clear definition on what is meant by social and affordable housing and

o        exploring with Titanic Quarter Ltd’s architects the potential location of social and affordable residential units on site, and where possible off site locations might be.

·         The group is keen to see that social/affordable housing units will be pepper potted throughout Phase II and will be indistinguishable from the private housing units in each block.

·         The group may consider site visits to models of good practice to help realise the potential for Titanic Quarter e.g., Dublin Docklands or Leith. 

 

TQ Access

 

Aim

 

To maximise connectivity and linkages to Titanic Quarter, ensuring that it is readily accessible to all.

 

Background

 

·         Meetings held to date: 26 August; 14 October, 2010

·         Members include DOE (champion); DRD (Roads Service, Rapid Transit and Translink); TQL, Council, Titanic Watch, BAPs, BCCRD, BHC and SIB

 

Achievements

 

·         The group is currently establishing the baseline position with regards accessibility and transportation provision at Titanic Quarter.

·         Rapid Transit - Proposals are being developed for the Citiroute which will be part of the pilot network for Belfast, linking to routes in the East and West of the city.

·         The provision of a new road junction at Connsbank is required as part of Phase 2 planning consent either to enable the TSP to open its door, or before one third of Phase 2 development is built and occupied.  However Planning Service is currently dealing with an Article 28 application which may vary the above condition as revised traffic figures from RPS indicate the existing road network should be able to handle the proposed traffic levels. 

·         The outline approval for Phase 2 includes a requirement to make improvements to the M3 off-slip at Sydenham Road before any part of the development became operational.

·         Roads Service is also considering an application for development on the Odyssey car park.

·         The road improvements along Queens Road associated with Phase 1 are largely complete and Roads Service has recently received details of the extension to these works associated with Phase 2. 

·         Means of improving the pedestrian and cycle access to and from Titanic Quarter is currently being examined.  

 

TQ Space

 

Aim

 

To create a memorable place at Titanic Quarter by providing an exciting public realm incorporating public art.

 

Background

 

·         Meetings held to date: 11 October, 2010

·         Members include TQL (champion), DCAL, DSD, PLACE, ACNI, MAG, BAPs, Titanic Watch, Council.

Achievements

 

·         A network of open spaces and public realm will be provided as an integral part of the TQ development including:

i.        A new area of open space will be opened by December 2010 at AbercornBasin (in front of the Arc apartments) and will incorporate a new Marina within the Basin and new dock walls. 

ii.      The TSP (now to be branded Titanic Belfast) will be iconic in design and is due to open to the public at the end of the first quarter, 2012. The creation of a piazza around this building will act as a major public space for the city.

iii.    The slipways of Titanic and Olympic will together create a high profile area of public realm.

iv.    External and internal refurbishment of the Titanic tender ship, SS Nomadic, currently located in Hamilton Dock, will be completed in time for the opening of the Signature Project. 

·         The group has agreed to consider innovative approaches to engaging local artists in the public art masterplanning process, leading to a strong sense of community ownership and pride in the area and to use events and performance related art to maximise development impact and create a lasting legacy at Titanic Quarter.

 

TQ Outreach

 

Aim

 

To maximise the engagement of Belfast’s communities in the regeneration of Titanic Quarter.

 

Background

 

·         A number of meetings have taken place between Council, TQL and the group ‘champion’ however the wider action group has yet to meet. 

·         Members include DSD (champion), BAPs, Titanic Watch, TQL and Council. It should be noted however that the BAPs and Titanic watch are full participants in the other workstreams and therefore fully informed on the work that is taking place elsewhere.

 

Recommendation

 

·         The TQ Outreach thematic action group will be established early in the New Year to maximise the engagement of Belfast’s communities in the regeneration of Titanic Quarter.  It is envisioned this group will develop a plan to address the engagement priorities documented by each of the other groups.  

 

·         Early work in the development of a Community Development Framework for Council has identified community engagement as one of the four key strands of any community development approach.   As part of the roll out of this framework, a pilot project will be developed to design and implement a meaningful, effective and comprehensive engagement programme to ensure that all communities across the city have both ownership of and access to all the opportunities presented by Titanic Quarter.  The pilot activity will build upon the early engagement work undertaken by East Belfast Partnership and where possible will utilise council assets, relationships and knowledge.

 

TQ Tourism

 

Aim

 

To maximise tourism opportunities arising from the regeneration of Titanic Quarter, linked to citywide tourism activities.

 

Background

 

·         No group meetings held to date.

·         Members include DCAL, BAPs, TQL, Titanic Watch and Council. 

 

Recommendation

 

·         DETI have been asked to “champion” this group however the Deputy Secretary with responsibility for Tourism, David Thomson, has expressed concern about the potential overlap with an NITB led Product Development Stakeholder Group which is tasked with developing the potential for tourism growth arising from the Titanic Signature Product. This group is currently working under the auspices of the NI 2012 Programme Group chaired by the DETI Permanent Secretary.

 

·         Council has been informed that the Product Development Group has met on 3 occasions to date with a further meeting scheduled for 10 December 2010.  The Group has to date reviewed the output of the Belfast Titanic and Maritime Heritage Study developed by Council, NITB and DSD and are using elements of that as a framework within which the group will work.  All participants have been asked to provide an overview of what their respective product areas will look like come April 2012 and to be clear on the visitor experience at that time.  This is an area of work that still needs to be developed and will continue to evolve as the development continues.  The next meeting will take the form of a workshop that will begin to work up itineraries for different target customer segments, providing a context for developing the visitor experience i.e. ticketing, selling, packaging etc.

·         However the Belfast Area Partnerships (BAPs) have recently expressed concerns regarding the need to maximise the tourism benefits from Titanic Belfast and to ensure a programme of tourism trails are developed, connecting with other tourism products within the city.  It is therefore recommended that the following two options be considered:

o        Council hosts regular meetings with BAPs and NITB to ensure that activities are put in place which enhance the tourism potential of Titanic Quarter and its connection to the wider industrial and maritime heritage of Belfast.

o        Susie McCullough who is co-ordinating the work of the four NITB led work groups attends the Co-ordinating Steering Group meetings and provides an update on progress ensuring this dovetails with the work under the MoU.

·         David Sterling, the Permanent Secretary at DETI also intends to revise the Governance Structures around the NI 2012 Programme Group and the Titanic Advisory Group in December, bringing coherence to all developments taking place in this area.”

 

            It was reported that Mr. M. Smyth and Ms. A. Harty, Titanic Quarter Limited, Mr. B. Gregory, Titanic Foundation Limited, Messrs. M. Gibson and J. O’Donnell, Titanic Watch, and Ms. M. Andrews, Belfast Area Partnerships, were in attendance and they were admitted to the meeting and welcomed by the Chairman.

 

            Titanic Quarter Limited

 

            With the assistance of visual aids, Mr. Smyth displayed images of the Development, including the Abercorn Basin Residential Complex, the Gateway Offices, the Public Records Office Northern Ireland, which had almost been completed, the Belfast Metropolitan College, which would replace the Brunswick Street campus and would open in August, 2011, the Titanic Signature Project, the Premier Inn, which had opened in November, and the Financial Services Campus for which planning permission had been approved.

 

            He referred to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Council and Titanic Quarter Limited which set out obligations on both parties and a number of Government Departments and sought to promote partnership and regeneration.  He outlined the following benefits which would accrue from the Development:

 

	2010	Phases 1 and 2	All Phases
Investment	£300 million	£1 billion	£8-10 billion
Permanent Jobs	4,100	7,900	30,000-40,000
Construction Jobs	2,150	4,350	20,000
Rateable Income	£1.8 million	£3.4 million	£33 million
Titanic Quarter Community Fund	£221,000

 

            Mr. Smyth concluded by reviewing the current economic challenges which the Development faced and the possible solutions which could assist in helping to complete the Project.

 

            Titanic Foundation Limited

 

            Mr. Gregory stated that the Titanic Signature Project was one of five major signature projects which had been identified by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.  He outlined the objectives of the Project which sought to contribute to the development of Northern Ireland as a tourist destination, establish Belfast as the home of the Titanic and contribute to the development of Belfast as both a Cultural Heritage and Business Tourism destination.

 

            With the assistance of visual aids, he reviewed the components of the Titanic Signature Project and the Governance arrangements for Titanic Foundation Limited.  He outlined each of the three stages of the Project, that is, its development, delivery and operation, and each of the key decisions and agreements associated therewith, the construction phases and what attractions would be included on each of the floors and in the associated Galleries.  He concluded by stating that the Project would be completed on time, with a proposed handover date of 31st March, 2012.

 

            At this stage of the meeting, Ms. R. Sloane, who had been seconded from the Department of Education and Learning as the Titanic Signature Project Manager (Employment, Training and Skills) provided an update on the sustainable employment opportunities which had been created and the successes which had been achieved to date.

 

            Titanic Watch

 

            Mr. Gibson, representing Titanic Watch, advised the Members that the Group was a cross-community organisation which sought to ensure that the benefits of the Titanic Signature Project were shared throughout the East Belfast community and the wider City area.  He indicated that the Group had, initially, little scope to influence the development of the site until the Council had provided some investment, which had allowed the Group to lobby the Council and achieve the drawing-up of the Memorandum of Understanding.

 

            He indicated that the Group now had representation on and participated on each of the Thematic Action Groups, although at this stage the Tourism Group had yet to meet.  However, in order to ensure that the Titanic Project worked and the expected benefits were achieved, the Group was seeking representation on the Strategic Advisory Board and the Co-ordinating Steering Group and requested that the Committee support them in achieving representation on both.

 

            Belfast Area Partnerships

 

            Ms. M. Andrews advised the Members that all the Area Partnership Boards were represented on the Thematic Action Group, as well as the Strategic Advisory Board and the Co-ordinating Steering Group.  The representatives ensured that all the issues which were raised were communicated to the relevant community groups throughout the City.  She stated that the Area Partnerships had held five community information events, which had been attended by 130 people, and had taken 120 people on a site visit to the Titanic Quarter.

 

            She indicated that the Partnerships were starting to become more involved and were keen to see more opportunities created for all of the people of the City, to ensure that the opportunities which would arise from the Tourism product benefited all parts of the City and to help develop and improve access to the site.  With regard to employability, the representatives wanted to ensure that all local training providers and schools in each of the Partnership Board areas were included so that they could avail of those opportunities. 

 

            During discussion, the Members raised various issues and put a number of questions to the deputations and the following points were made by the representatives:

 

·         the social clauses contained within the legal agreements for the construction of the Titanic Signature Project building provided that a number of apprenticeships and jobs for long term unemployed be created.  A number of Members commented that these clauses were not sufficiently onerous and that more needed to be done.  In response, it was confirmed that the clauses within the contract were the standard clauses recommended by the Government’s Central Procurement Directorate and represented the agreement which existed at the time between the Construction Employers Federation and the Trade Unions.  It was commented that work was ongoing within Government to review the standard clauses and the experience of the Titanic project would be fed into that work;

                                         

·         the point was made that the Operator Contract would also place very strong corporate social responsibilities on the successful bidder;

 

·         Citigroup had been working in conjunction with the University of Ulster, Jordanstown and Queen’s University to ensure that there would be sufficient graduates with IT qualifications to take up the employment opportunities which were being offered by that organisation.  Also, discussions were taking place with the company to ensure that there were employment opportunities created for persons with no qualifications;

 

·         discussions, including whether or not a subsidy would be required, were taking place with Translink to try to arrange a new bus service to the area which would operate every seven and a half minutes following the opening of the Belfast Metropolitan College;

 

·         in addition, discussions were ongoing to have a former train halt in the area re-opened.  The Rapid Transport system was a matter for the Department of Regional Development and a decision was still to be made in relation to the allocation of funding for that project arising from the Comprehensive Spending Review.  It was agreed that the Council should make representation to the appropriate Ministers to encourage investment in the transport infrastructure during the round of Ministerial briefings which were taking place over the next few months;

 

·         there had been no conditions included in Phase 1 of the development with regard to the inclusion of affordable housing.  The original planning agreement had included a condition that a minimum of 15% of the residential accommodation be allocated for affordable housing, of which a minimum of 10% would be allocated within Phase 2.  The point was made that, due to the current economic climate and the effect on the housing market, the definition of affordable housing had now evolved;

 

·         Titanic Quarter Limited had invested over £300 million in the project, with the Harbour Commissioners having invested about 10% of that figure;

 

·         the Department of Employment and Learning had a crucial role to play in developing early warning signals for employment opportunities at the site;

 

·         the amount of £221,000 included in the Titanic Quarter Community Fund did not represent an actual amount of money from which Groups could seek grants, but represented instead an amount which Titanic Quarter Limited had spent on community projects in 2010 and included benefits in kind;

 

·         with regard to the proposed major road works at Connswater Link, application had been made to the Planning Service to have the condition attached to the planning approval removed on the grounds that the present scale of development did not justify such a roads junction;

 

·         Titanic Quarter Limited would have no difficulty in meeting with political representatives from all areas and would, in fact, be undertaking a proactive programme of engagement in the New Year; and

 

·         the number of permanent jobs included those persons who had moved and those who would be relocating to the area from other locations, such as the Public Records Office Northern Ireland and the Belfast MetropolitanCollege.

 

            The Chairman thanked the representatives of the Groups for attending and they retired from the meeting.

 

            After discussion, it was

 

            Moved by Councillor Crozier,

            Seconded by Councillor J. Rodgers,

 

      That the Committee agrees that Titanic Watch be invited to nominate two representatives to sit on both the Strategic Advisory Group and the Co-ordinating Steering Group.

 

            On a vote by show of hands five Members voted for the proposal and none against and it was accordingly declared carried.

 

            The Committee agreed also that:

 

(1)     a pilot project be developed to design and implement a meaningful, effective and comprehensive engagement programme, ensuring that communities have both ownership of and access to all the opportunities presented by the Titanic Quarter and noted that some existing resources would have to be reallocated in order to undertake the project;

 

(2)     a report on the most appropriate way forward for the Titanic Quarter Tourism Thematic Action Group be submitted to the Committee in January;

 

(3)     authority be delegated to the Director of Development, in association with the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Committee, to approve the most economically advantageous tender for the delivery of the Supplier programme, subject to the completion of a contract to be drawn up by the Legal Services Section; and

 

(4)     given the Committee’s recent decision to establish an All-Party Steering Group to oversee the Council’s input into the 2012 Programme and the development of the Titanic Quarter, further consideration be given to a Group being established to oversee the Titanic Quarter only.