Agenda item

            The Director of Property and Projects submitted for the Committee’s consideration the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1        To update Members on a number of area related issues for        Members’ consideration.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

            AWG minutes

·        Approve the most recent round of Area Working Group (AWG) Minutes (South – 27th February; North – 28th February and East – 13th March).

            Local Investment Fund

·        note the LIF projects which have previously been approved in principle which have been scored.  Members are asked to note that both these projects have met the threshold and to therefore agree that these are progressed to due-diligence

            Belfast Investment Fund

·        agree the recommendations from the South and East AWGs in respect of their ringfenced BIF allocations as outlined in Section 3.5 and 3.6 below

3.0       Main report

            KEY ISSUES

            AREA WORKING GROUP UPDATES

3.1       Members agreed in June 2016 that the Area Working Group minutes would be taken into the SP&R Committee for approval going forward in line with the Council’s commitment to openness and transparency and to ensure a consistent approach with other Member-led Working Groups. Members are asked to approve the most recent round of AWG Minutes (South – 27th February; North – 28th February and East – 13th March). 

            LOCAL INVESTMENT FUND UPDATE 

            Projects recommended to proceed to due-diligence

3.2       Members are asked to note that 2 LIF2 projects which had previously been agreed for in principle funding (WLIF2-23 – Blackie River Community Centre and NLIF073/NLIF2-20 – Jennymount Methodist Church) have now been scored by officers.  Both projects have successfully met the minimum threshold and it is recommended that these projects now proceed to the Due Diligence stage of the LIF process

            BELFAST INVESTMENT FUND

3.3       In January 2016, as part of the rates setting process, it was agreed that £5m would be ringfenced to support BIF projects in the areas of Lisburn and Castlereagh which transferred across under LGR with the monies to be shared equally as these areas had not had an opportunity to have any BIF projects considered. 

3.4       Members noted in March 2016 that the allocation for Outer East fell across two AWGs (South and East as residents transferred into the Balmoral (South), Lisnasharragh (East) and Orminston (East) DEAs). The total that transferred into these areas was just over 25,000 with approx 1/5 of these transferring into Balmoral (South) and the remainder transferring into the East DEAs.  In terms of the £2.5million available for Outer East this equated to £500,000 for South and £2million for East and this allocation was agreed by Members.

3.5       SOUTH AWG – The South AWG at its meeting on 27th February, made the following recommendations for the consideration of the SP&R Committee in relation to their ringfenced BIF allocation. 

3.6       EAST AWG - The East AWG at its meeting on 13th March, made the following recommendations for the consideration of the SP&R Committee in relation to their ringfenced BIF allocation. 

            It was further agreed that these projects would be considered as part of the options appraisal which had previously been agreed to enable the East AWG with relative prioritisation of the emerging projects and fully test their feasibility. The East AWG also agreed not to consider any further proposals under the Outer East BIF at this stage.

3.7       FINANCIAL & RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

·        Financial - £5m has been ringfenced for BIF projects in the transferring in areas of which £2m has been ringfenced for Outer East and £500,000 for Outer south

·        Resource - Officers time to deliver projects.  

3.8       Equality or Good Relations Implications

            No implications.”

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.