Agenda item

The Committee considered the undernoted report:

            “1     Relevant Background Information

Members will be aware that they have previously agreed to the allocation of £750,000, to a fund for capital enhancements to playing pitches owned by schools, as part of the Playing Pitches Strategy. The purpose of the capital enhancement is to achieve greater community access to pitches facilities, for example the installation of flood lighting to allow the pitch to be used by the local community in the evenings.  Any application to the fund would have to demonstrate that the capital enhancement would increase wider community usage of the playing pitch.

At its meeting in November 2012 this Committee agreed the application process for the £750k for schools.  Within this process it was agreed that there would be a minimum award of£70,000 and a maximum award of £150,000. The Council would fund up to100% of the construction costs, up to a maximum of £150,000.Design costs would not be eligible. 

            2        Key Issues

The application process opened on the 10 December 2012 and closed on 29 March, a total of 15 applications requesting a total of £2,017,818 was submitted.  A panel consisting of the Director and Business Manager from the Parks and Leisure Department and a representative from the Department of Education met to assess the applications against the prioritisation matrix.

On assessment 5 of the applications were deemed ineligible in that they did not meet the criteria of the fund.  The remaining 10 applications were assessed and received the following scores out of 300:

Based on the scores and the amount of money available it is recommended that the following applications are forwarded for delivery and cost screening as a due diligence exercise:

St Marys Christian Brothers Grammar School -               £85,211

Aquinas Grammar School -                                              £150,000

Bunscoilan tSleibhe Dhuibh -                                           £73,000

Grosvenor Grammar -                                                      £150,000

Corpus Christie College -                                                £150,000

Belfast Royal Academy -                                                 £150,000

Total applications -                                                           £758,211

The due diligence process will test both deliverability and provide cost assurance.  As part of this schools will be asked to provide a project plan; risk management framework; procurement strategy; costs and designs; and necessary approvals.  It will also give assurance where match funding is required.No letters of offer will be forwarded to schools until this due diligence has been completed. 

It may be that the costs will vary or that the process will identify high risk projects and it is therefore recommended that the Ashfield Girls School as 7th highest scoring application is also forwarded for delivery and cost screening, as a contingency.  We anticipate that funding agreements, with the necessary terms and conditions, will be issued by December 2013.All projects will have to be completed by 30 September 2014.

            3       Resource Implications

Financial

£750k has been allocated for this element of the Playing Pitches Strategy.

            4       Equality and good relations implications

Policy Arc Ltd was appointed to externally verify the equality dimensions to the development of the strategy which has been subject to an EQIA.  The full EQIA can be downloaded from the Council’s website. This element of the overall strategy has been screened out and a screening form has been forwarded to the Council’s Equality and Diversity Officer.

            5       Recommendation

The Committee is asked to approve the recommendations made in relation to the award of funding.”

            The Director reported that, given that the playing fields belonging to the Belfast Royal Academy were located outside the City boundary, the application for funding would be subject to the school being able to demonstrate, during the due diligence process, that the expenditure to be incurred would provide direct benefit to the City and its ratepayers. In response, the Committee indicated that, in such a circumstance, it would offer no objection to the funding being made available as outlined.

            After discussion, during which the Director agreed to circulate the assessment criteria which had been used in considering the applications, the Committee adopted the recommendation.