Agenda item

(Mrs. L. McCartney, Programme Coordinator, and Ms. R. Sloan, Department for Education and Learning, attended in connection with this item.)

 

 

 

 

 

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

 

“1        Relevant Background Information

 

1.1       Members are reminded that at £7bn and covering 185-acres Belfast’s Titanic Quarter development is the largest urban regeneration project in Northern Ireland’s history and is one of the largest waterfront schemes in Europe.  At twice the size of London’s Canary Wharf the transformation of the Quarter into a mixed use maritime quarter is an investment in Belfast’s future prosperity – building on the city’s innovation, industry and tourism offering.

 

1.2       In 2009 Council recognised the projects regeneration potential and set about developing a collaborative approach to maximize the social and economic benefits of Titanic Quarter by initiating a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the private developer, Titanic Quarter Ltd to ensure that everyone within the city and beyond would have fair access to the benefits which would emerge as a result.

 

1.3       The unique agreement which was recently shortlisted as a finalist in the Best Joint Initiative category in The Local Government Awards Northern Ireland has brought together the Council, Central Government Departments, community and voluntary organisations, training providers and the private sector in a partnership to help integrate the former shipyards with the rest of Belfast and optimise the benefits arising from the regeneration of the area by:

 

I.      Promoting TQ as a prime employment option for local people and improving the skills of in accordance with employers’ needs;

 

II.    Maximising access by road, rail and bus from all parts of the city;

 

III.   maximising the maritime tourism potential;

 

IV.  Promoting quality public realm and mixed residential development; and

 

V.    Ensuring appropriate mechanisms are put in place to improve community awareness, engagement and ownership of the development of Titanic Quarter.

 

 

 

1.4       Members will recall from Council’s Development Committee meeting on 19 September 2011 that in order to achieve the objectives outlined above a three–tier governance structure comprising of a Strategic Advisory Board, a Coordinating Steering Group and a number of Thematic Working Groups had been established to take forward the development, implementation and monitoring of our overall implementation plan.

 

1.5       Six distinct action plans have been taken forward by the Council and its partners in the areas of employment and skills, tourism, public realm, access, housing and community outreach.  Progress reports on the achievements of each of the various work-streams are detailed in Section 2.

 

1.6       In summary an inter-agency ‘TQ Work’ Group has been established to develop and implement an action plan providing access to skills and training aimed at meeting the needs of Titanic Quarter’s employers.

 

1.7       A TQ Access Group was set up to address the issues of improving public transport access to the site (bus and rail), the creation of new cycle routes and improving pedestrian access from the city centre and neighbourhoods close to the former shipyards.

 

1.8       Council also embarked on a major engagement exercise with every section of society in partnership with Titanic Foundation, ensuring that everyone in Belfast and NI could benefit from the substantial investment in Titanic Quarter.  An ambitious Community Engagement Plan was developed under the remit of our TQ Outreach work group.

 

1.9       Of central importance to those communities closest to the development zone has been the issue of access to affordable and social housing and associated high quality public realm. Under the MOU the Council worked with the Department of Social Development (DSD) and other agencies to ensure that a proportion of the residential development on the site will be affordable and accessible to local communities in the future and open spaces and public realm have been provided as an integral part of the redevelopment.

 

1.10     Furthermore, an All Party Working Group was established with representation from all political parties in order to effectively engage, disseminate information and seek local views on the operation of the MOU.

 

 

2          Key Issues

 

2.1       Members have previously noted that Titanic Quarter Ltd is the company taking forward the development of the Titanic Quarter in a joint venture with the owners of the land, Belfast Harbour Commissioners.

 

2.2       Titanic Belfast is owned by a charitable trust, Titanic Foundation and construction of the building has been undertaken by Harcourt Construction Ltd, in contract with Titanic Foundation.  In April 2011 Titanic Foundation announced that Harcourt Developments Ltd had been successfully appointed operator of the iconic £97m project and would be responsible for the day-to-day running of the visitor attraction including the marketing and promotion of the facilities within the building including banqueting and conference facilities and its permanent visitor exhibitions and educational facilities.

 

2.3       Members are reminded that representatives from the abovementioned organisations attended a meeting of Council’s Development Committee on 19 September 2011 to provide an update on the overall development of Titanic Quarter, the operations and management of Titanic Belfast and implementation of social clauses within the construction contract.  During this meeting Members suggested that the numbers of local people who had been employed through the construction phase of the project were somewhat disappointing and the benefits accrued by local communities had been minimal.  Titanic Foundation offered to attend a future meeting of the Committee to discuss the matter further and both Jonathan Hegan (Chairman) and Bryan Gregory (acting Chief Executive) will be in attendance at Development Committee on 3 April.

 

2.4       A detailed report on the progress of each of the six MOU work-streams and their associated achievements are presented below.

 

2.5       TQ Work

 

            An inter-agency TQ Work Group has been established to develop and implement an action plan which provides access to skills and training aimed at meeting the needs of Titanic Quarter’s employers.

 

2.6       The Work Group coordinates recruitment, training, skills and education programmes and focuses on the creation of bespoke employment approaches and initiatives to meet the needs of target groups including the long term unemployed, apprentices, graduates and undergraduates.

 

2.7       A sub-group has also been established to meet the needs of the TQ Work Group and consists of Members of the local community, training providers, partnership boards, local and central government officials. The sub group focused their efforts on major recruitment opportunities and has since disbanded as there are no further major recruitment projects in the pipeline.

 

2.8       With local representation on both the work group and the sub group local communities have been kept fully informed about upcoming employment and training opportunities and specifically designed pre-employment programmes have been developed to suit local needs. The most recent pre-employment programmes were for Titanic Belfast (retail) and Fitzers Catering (hospitality and catering).

 

2.9       A series of employer events and community information sessions were held in September, October and January to gauge recruitment and up-skilling plans for companies in Titanic Quarter and to inform local communities of upcoming employer vacancies in Titanic Quarter including the Titanic Belfast attraction.

 

2.10     Through the DEL jobcentreonline and Belfast City Council websites citizens have been regularly updated of upcoming job opportunities.

 

2.11     Social clauses in the construction element of Titanic Belfast were applied and are based upon government guidelines as agreed by industry and the Central Procurement Directorate. DEL ultimately agreed protocols with EC Harris and Harcourt for the sharing of information and the validation of long-term unemployed and apprentices.  As a result of the social clause within the construction contract employment was secured for 15 long term unemployed and 25 apprentices.  These figures have been verified by DEL.

 

 

 

 

 

2.12     It should be noted however, that figures quoted by EC Harris in relation to employment and training opportunities differ to those referred to above and indicate that 19 long-term unemployed and 39 apprentices have secured employment across Northern Ireland during the construction phase of Titanic Belfast.  Validation with DEL continues, however, DEL is only able to validate those apprentices who are on DEL schemes.

 

2.13     In addition to the long-term unemployed and apprentices who secured employment under the construction phase, 28 catering and security posts with the operator contract have been secured for the long-term unemployed.  These are a combination of full-time, part-time and casual post holders.

 

2.14     As a result of this project, DEL has since set up the Belfast Social Clause Delivery Forum to ensure the lessons learned during the construction phase are taken on board for future publically procured capital projects.

 

2.15     TQ Access

 

            Bus: Provision of a dedicated high frequency bus service linking Titanic Quarter and the City Centre commenced on 1 September 2011 and operates every 12 minutes at peak times and every 20 minutes at other parts of the day.  A Saturday and Sunday service to supplement the existing services to Titanic Quarter has been introduced by re-routing the 600 service at weekends. This currently provides a 20 minute service as an interim measure.

 

2.16     Additional bus shelters have been installed throughout the city and Translink are currently working to finalise service provision for the Easter weekend and thereafter.

 

2.17     Rail: The renaming of Bridge End Halt to Titanic Quarter Halt officially took place on 28 March. Works to extend the platform and provide the new access ramp are currently being completed.

 

2.18     Fraser Street/Connect2 Initiative: A Connect2 project connecting Titanic Quarter with the Connswater and Comber Greenways via a new route through Titanic Quarter Halt, Fraser St (re-opened) and Sydenham Rd was launched on 3rd February by the Lord Mayor at an event also attended by First and Deputy First Ministers. Works are well underway at Fraser Street which was reopened by 31 March facilitating access to the rail station and East Belfast.

 

2.19     Sydenham Road cycle path and the pedestrian/ cycle crossing will be installed after the Titanic Belfast opening events programme takes place. The Dee Street pedestrian/cycle crossing is in place.

 

2.20     Planning: Coach Parking approval has been issued for the site close to Titanic Belfast and electronic signage for parking availability is proposed to be installed by 31 March.

 

2.21     Roads Service is undertaking some environmental tidy up to areas on approach to Titanic Quarter and DSD has committed to make improvements to the area around the weir and Queens Quay including the removal of graffiti and improved site enclosure or hoardings.

 

            TQ Tourism

 

2.22     The Belfast Tourism Forum, including representatives from key private and public stakeholders has been established to oversee delivery of the Belfast Integrated Strategic Tourism Framework 2010-2014 and a number of Titanic related actions have been prioritised for 2011/2012.

 

2.23     Council is leading on the implementation of a Titanic signage project aiming to connect pedestrians to the Titanic Quarter.  This project includes the design, development, manufacture and installation of motorway and city based tourism signs as well as the design, production and distribution of Titanic and Maritime Visitor Trail maps. We are also developing further signage for the City Cemetery and East Belfast.  All signs will be in place by June 2012.

 

2.24     Council has worked alongside Belfast City Centre Management, Department of Regional Development – Roads Service, Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau and Department of Social Development to dress the city for 2012. Over 700 banners are being erected across the city and 20 new flag fields to highlight key festivals and events.  Banner designs have been developed in consultation with local community groups and festival flag fields are managed via the Belfast Festivals Forum.  Furthermore, Members will be aware that 15 cows are due to be placed across the city as part of Northern Ireland Cow Parade. To date the response from local communities as part of the open call for creative ideas for cow designs has been extremely positive. Cows will be in situ end of May. City centre banners and Titanic Quarter will be erected by end of March. Wider tourism place destinations will be dressed by end of June 2012.

 

 

2.25     Council, Translink, BVCB and NITB have piloted a new Belfast Visitors Pass for 2011 linking integrated bus and rail travel across the city to discount schemes in attractions and retail and catering outlets. The pilot will be reviewed later this year in anticipation to making improvements for 2012 and beyond.

 

2.26     The Strategic Investment Board commissioned Deloitte to develop an implementation and funding plan for the maritime heritage assets of Titanic Quarter.  The report sets out a number of development requirements and specific funding opportunities associated with each of the individual assets.

 

2.27     An industry engagement programme in support of Titanic 2012 has been developed. This programme presents a series of integrated events and activities to be delivered by BVCB in partnership with Council, BCCM and BCTC at a variety of audiences at different levels who need to be fully engaged and informed about Titanic 2012 including those individuals, organisations and businesses involved in Belfast’s tourism development and promotion.  To date three information sessions have been held plus a networking workshop to support local businesses to package experiences for visitors.

 

2.28     Council has secured £400k of European funding to deliver ‘Destination Belfast’ - a programme aimed at supporting a range of initiatives for the tourism sector in Belfast including increased customer care, business skills, product knowledge and maximising the opportunities arising from 2012 and 2013.

 

            Tourism Ireland, NITB and BVCB will all focus marketing activities for 2012 on Titanic Belfast which will support the city to increase its share of visitors from ROI and GB in particular.

 

2.29     TQ Space

 

            A network of open spaces and public realm has been provided as an integral part of the Titanic Quarter development including:

 

-        The ‘Kit’ by Tony Stallard is the first public artwork for the Titanic Quarter and is sited in the public realm area facing the Abercorn Basin. Production of the artwork coincided with completion of Phase 1 of the ARC development in October 2009.

 

 

 

-        A new area of open space opened in December 2010 at Abercorn Basin a new Marina within the Basin and new dock walls.

 

-        The Titanic Belfast building is iconic in its own right and the creation of a plaza around this building will act as a major public space for the city.

 

-        A 15 tonne ‘Titanic’ sign, believed to be the largest ever made in Northern Ireland, forms a focal point on the plaza around the new visitor attraction.

 

-        The twin slipways of the Titanic and Olympic White Star passenger liners are where these great ships were built and have been developed as public realm around Titanic Belfast and will be one of the largest public spaces developed in Belfast in the last 50 years.

 

-        Funding of £3.2mn from Heritage Lottery Fund has enabled the Nomadic Trust to restore the last remaining White Star Vessel, SS Nomadic, and the Hamilton Graving Dock.  External and internal refurbishment works will be completed by October 2012.

 

-        Investment of £1.5 million by DOE is currently giving the Thompson Graving Dock a new lease of life after 100 years.  The work involves preserving the original dock gate but also allowing better public access to the dock and the working door floor.  From April 2012 the public will be given access to the floor of the Thompson Dry-Dock for the first time ever. This unique attraction will further add to the Titanic experience at the Science Park along with the 100 year old Edwardian Pump-House which includes a state of the art Interpretive Centre.

 

-        In the east of the City the ‘Yardmen’, a Titanic centenary sculpture celebrating the history and achievements of East Belfast’s shipbuilding workforce has been unveiled and is located at Pitt Park on the Newtownards Road.

 

2.30     TQ Housing

 

-        The Group has agreed that housing in the Titanic Quarter should be delivered on a shared basis. The private property developer is committed to ensuring that social and affordable housing units will be pepper potted throughout the development and will be indistinguishable from the private housing units in each block.

 

 

-        A condition in the original planning agreement for Titanic Quarter 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 remaining 5% may be in offsite locations in the Belfast Metropolitan Area.

 

-        A Housing Association will be appointed to oversee the delivery of housing on the site and whilst Planning Service have placed certain conditions on the minimum numbers of units to be made available for social and affordable housing, Titanic Quarter Limited has agreed to consider an increase on this number if that would help the wider development across the rest of the site and meet housing need in the community.

 

-           Whilst the current downturn in the housing market has delayed the construction of Phase 2 of the development that includes provision for social and affordable housing, the work of the housing thematic group to date in agreeing some broad principles and objectives will make it easier to start delivery of these units once Titanic Quarter are ready to begin construction of phase 2.

 

2.31     TQ Outreach

 

-        Council embarked on a major engagement in partnership with Titanic Foundation and in doing so has ensured that the redevelopment of Titanic Quarter and the opening of Titanic Belfast has come to be seen as a resource for the whole city, offering opportunities across the board and something for all citizens to be proud of.

 

-        As part of this process an ambitious and comprehensive community engagement plan has been developed for the city and we have worked with a range of partners in developing a programme of activities enabling local communities to be part of the excitement surrounding Titanic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

-        Titanic Ambassadors have helped share news of all Titanic related events, jobs and initiatives  through their community and industry contacts and around 60 individuals from Council and external organisations have been attending events and group meetings to make sure that as many people as possible are aware of the opportunities that the Titanic brand is bringing. Ongoing communication focus through print, web, social media and publications. Our plan has also involved delivery of a wide range of community activities from tea dances and exhibition road shows through to art and physical regeneration projects.

 

2.32     Additional activities

 

            In addition to our MOU activity Council, along with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, are hosting a fusion of events to mark the centenary of Titanic's fateful maiden voyage in an extended annual festival from 31 March - 22 April including drama, film, exhibitions, tours, talks and lectures, music and other events.  Highlights of the Titanic Belfast Festival 2012 include Titanic Easter Festival, Titanic Light Show, MTV Presents Titanic Sounds, Titanic Centenary Commemoration, Titanic Commemoration Service and unveiling of Titanic Memorial Garden, Requiem for the Lost Souls of the Titanic and Titanic: Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry.

 

2.33     Council has also taken the lead in facilitating the operational integration between agencies in relation to safety and security and has convened a group through the Belfast Resilience Forum to consider challenges and opportunities related to safety and security in the development of Titanic Quarter and to examine current organisational capacity and capabilities, including resources, existing agreements and potential overlaps.

 

2.34     A Titanic Quarter Policing and Safety Stakeholders’ Forum has been formed and includes senior representatives from PSNI, Belfast Harbour Police, Translink, NI Ambulance Service, NI Fire and Rescue Service, DETI and Odyssey Trust.  All participating organisations have agreed on two distinct needs that need to be addressed in terms of Titanic

 

 

            Quarter that is, Titanic Quarter as a venue for high-profile events and Titanic Quarter as an emerging neighbourhood for normal policing and community safety issues. To address these needs a number of sub-groups have been established including:

 

I.      Policing – To facilitate operational integration between agencies in relation to safety and security, in order to facilitate clear communication with stakeholders.

 

II.    Technical solutions (CCTV) - To co-ordinate and integrate CCTV capacity in TQ, including site-specific systems such as Belfast Met.

 

III.   Large-scale events - To jointly plan, manage and review (when appropriate) the safety and security arrangements for TQ as an iconic site for large-scale events.

 

IV.  Business Continuity – To facilitate an ongoing engagement with the business sector to ensure that TQ is a vibrant, convenient and crime-free location for businesses.

 

V.    Emergency Planning - To manage exit/egress issues for people and vehicles and (over the longer term) improve connectivity to the city.

 

VI.  Communications - To ensure effective communication and engagement with TQ users in relation to safety and security needs

 

2.35     For each work stream a lead organisation has been identified as well as key actions and timescales for delivery.  In addition, early discussions between Council and PSNI indicated that PSNI have a close relationship with London Metropolitan Police in terms of the development of the South Bank as a similar venue/neighbourhood to Titanic Quarter.   Since businesses in London’s South Bank have taken a collective approach towards addressing safety and security of the region, stakeholders in TQ are currently learning of South Bank’s experiences in the benefits such an approach has brought to the area, and perhaps more importantly, how the collective approach has been achieved, built on and maintained.

 

 

2.36     Members are asked to note that whilst the Development Department has harnessed the resources and commitment of all partners to drive forward the MOU, Members and officers from all departments across Council have also contributed to the success of this project and are in some part responsible towards making the city’s Titanic dream a reality.

 

2.37     The MOU is an original approach which has not been tried before and is an excellent example of how a council can overcome the constraints on its regeneration powers by working with statutory bodies, local communities and training organisations and the private sector to maximise regeneration potential. It has enabled local communities to be an integral part of the regeneration process and secure employment through creating opportunities within local communities for the long term unemployed, apprentices and graduates.

 

2.38     The existence of such a unique agreement has ensured that coordinated solutions are developed in response to challenges facing the city and investment decisions and infrastructure we build today leave a lasting legacy for future is indeed a massive asset to Titanic Quarter.  The support and buy in from local communities has been crucial and both the TQ Work and TQ Outreach action groups have worked tirelessly to get communities onside and this has been achieved by open communication and transparency and partnership working.

 

2.39     In taking this initiative forward we intend to evaluate the achievements of each the working groups over the next two months and to capture lessons learned for Council and all stakeholders involved.  The recently published Investment Programme for Belfast recognises that we cannot realise the objectives in this Investment Programme on our own and therefore one of our underlying principles is the need to work in partnership.  It is therefore crucial that we learn from the Titanic Quarter example and continue to develop this partnership approach and apply the principles and its associated benefits to similar projects in the future.

 

2.40     Given the fact that almost all of the objectives set within the MOU have now been met, it is proposed that the working groups and associated governance structures are wound up by 30 June 2012 to allow staff resources to be allocated to projects which are currently emerging from the Council’s City Investment Programme.

 

3          Resource Implications

 

3.1       There will clearly be resource implications in terms of the Council committing both officer and Member time in evaluating the achievements of the various work-streams and bringing the Titanic Quarter MOU to a natural end.

 

4          Recommendations

 

4.1       Members are asked to agree that MOU working groups and associated governance structures be wound up by 30 June 2012.”

 

           

            The Director outlined the principal aspects of the report and answered a range of Members’ queries in relation thereto.

 

            A number of Members indicated that it would be prudent for the Council to assess critically the lessons which had been learned through its participation in the Titanic Memorandum of Understanding. It was pointed out that the Council’s expectations, in so far as they related to social clauses, particularly with regard to the creation of apprenticeships, the recruitment of long-termed unemployed persons and the provision of social housing had not been met and this might have arisen due to the somewhat loose definitions within the planning permission granted and in the contract between Titanic Foundation Limited and the contractor.  The point was made that the Council should seek to ensure that there existed no ambiguity in the wording of any further memoranda of understanding with which it might seek to involve itself in.  It was pointed out that, in future, any aspirations for social clauses should be more robust and implicit within any agreements entered into and that there would be an understanding that the Council’s expectations would be met fully.

 

            It was reported that Mr. J. Hegan and Mr. B. Gregory, representing Titanic Foundation Limited, were in attendance and they were admitted to the meeting and welcomed by the Chairman. Mr. Hegan and Mr. Gregory placed on the record their formal thanks to the Council for its assistance in the successful development of the Titanic Signature Building and they provided an overview of the opening events which had taken place the previous weekend.

 

            A number of Members indicated that, with the opening of the Titanic Signature Building, it was important that all communities across the City should feel a sense of ownership of the building. The point was made that a comprehensive outreach programme, which would address all aspects of the City’s diverse population, should be instigated to address this issue.

           

            Messrs. Hegan and Gregory then proceeded to answer a range of Members’ questions and undertook to provide to the Committee, on an annual basis, the key performance indicators in relation to all aspects of the Memorandum of Understanding,

 

 

specifically those relating to the implementation of social clauses, to enable the Council to monitor and assess on an ongoing basis the success of the project.

 

            After discussion, the Committee agreed to adopt the recommendations as set out within the foregoing report, subject to the following:

 

·         That periodic reports would be submitted for the Committee’s consideration regarding the progress achieved in respect of the social clauses as set out within the original Memorandum of Understanding; and

 

·         That a report would be submitted for the Committee’s consideration in due course which would address how the Council’s expectations with regard to social clauses could be made more implicit within any future arrangements entered into.