Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1      Relevant Background Information

1.1     The Council currently hold 5.253 acres of land at Slievegallion Drive.  The land is held on a 10,000 year lease, dated 20th Feb 1984, from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.  The lease restricts the use of the site to informal open space and NIHE consent is required for any assignment or sub letting.

1.2     De La Salle school is located adjacent to the Council’s land at Slievegallion Drive. The school have approached the Council with a proposal for the redevelopment of the Council’s land at Slievegallion Drive to provide a school/community facility potentially comprising a full size GAA pitch, a smaller training pitch and a pavilion/small stand for use by the school and its three feeder primary schools during school hours and by the local community out of school hours.

1.3     The school has indicated that they are seeking a long lease (25-50 years) for the land at Slievegallion Drive from the Council in order to secure the funding required for their proposals.

1.4     The site does not form part of the Pitches Strategy and there is currently no identified funding in the Capital Programme for the development of this land.

2       Key Issues

2.1     De La Salle is an all boys, non selective, secondary school with 1100 pupils.  They have no adjoining outdoor pitches, they lease 2 pitches from St Genevieve’s to which they bus their pupils.

2.2     The school currently make their indoor sports facilities including the gym and multi- purpose hall available out of school hours for public use and their intention would be to extend this arrangement to the proposed new pitch facilities. They advise that the indoor sports facilities are very well used by the local community.

2.3     Officers have requested further information to include the school’s business model in terms of costs, public access and income producing capacity of the facility together with clarification from the school regarding funding from Department of Education or elsewhere.

3       Resource Implications

3.1     Financial

         Detailed costs and sources of funding for the De La Salle’s proposals are not currently available; these will form a critical part of the further discussions to be had with De La Salle.

3.2     Human Resources

         Staff resources in Parks and Leisure, Estates Management Unit and Legal Services.

3.3     Assets and Other Implications

         The land is currently used as informal open space and its development as a sports facility for use by the school and the wider community in the area could provide a more sustainable use for the land with improved outcomes in terms of increased participation in sports and health and well being.

4       Equality and Good Relations Considerations

4.1     Equality implications will be fully considered if the proposal progresses.

5       Recommendations

5.1     It is recommended that the Committee agree to officers progressing discussions with De La Salle school with a view to exploring the most appropriate arrangement (including leasing options) for the redevelopment of the informal open space at Slievegallion Drive, with a further report to be brought to this Committee in due course. Discussions to include;

·         Details of the schools business model in terms of costs and income producing capacity

·         Public access arrangements

·         Partnership or leasing arrangements to ensure ongoing wider community use

·         Sources of funding to redevelop the site”

The Committee adopted the recommendations.