Agenda item

         (Mr. G. Copeland, City Events Manager, attended in connection with this item)

            The City Events Manager explained that he was seeking the Committee’s approval for operational amendments to the Christmas Lights Switch-On and to St. Patrick’s Day.

            It was

      Moved by Councillor Beattie,

      Seconded by Councillor Walsh and

      Resolved - That the Committee agrees to defer consideration of the 2018 St. Patrick’s Day element of the report, for one month, to allow a presentation from Fáilte Feirste Thiar at the next meeting, following publication of its report on St.Patrick’s Day 2017.

            The Committee considered the undernoted section of the report in relation to the Christmas Lights Switch-On 2017 at the City Hall:

“3.2     Members may be aware that the switching on of the city’s festive lighting dates back to the early 1970s.  Over the years, the staging of the Belfast Christmas Lights Switch-on has become a bye-word for the start of the Belfast Christmas Festive period. Hundreds of thousands have attended the event over the years, with an annual audience of over 10,000.  As the event has grown additional elements have been added in order to cope with crowd numbers and in doing so provide a safe and welcoming space. 

      However, since the introduction and growth of the city’s very successful Christmas Market it has become apparent that the complexity of setting up for two major events, the Christmas Market and Switch-on, requires a change in approach to increase the level of safety for all. 

      Therefore, Members are asked to note that Officers, with the endorsement of the Council’s Events Advisory Panel (non-statuary advisory group made of a range of Council Officers, PSNI, BCCM, Department for Infrastructure (Roads), NI Ambulance Service, NI Fire & Rescue, etc.) would intend to apply for road closures along: Wellington Place; Donegall Square North and Chichester Street from 21:00 hours, on Friday 17 November to Sunday 19 November, at 07:00 and restrictions to traffic in Donegall Square East.   This arrangement would restrict vehicular movement to contractors (involved in the Christmas Lights and Christmas Market build) and require the Council to work with partners such as Belfast City Centre Management, PSNI, Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Translink and the Department of Infrastructure (Roads) to enforce such road closures. 

      The intended outcome would be to reduce the level of pedestrian and vehicle interaction in an area that is heavily congested even before the Christmas Market and Lights Switch-on construction has started. This interaction has become an area of grave concern with many pedestrians taking risks at road junctions where temporary layouts are in place, often ignoring directional signage, advice of stewards and breaking through directional barriers.

      Given these issues, Officers, and members of the Events Advisory Panel are now of the opinion that the current traffic/pedestrian management arrangements present an unacceptable level of risk to the many pedestrians, motorists and other road users during the final set-up for both the Christmas Market and Switch-on.  These amendments have been notified to Belfast City Centre Management and Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce.  Therefore, Members are asked to support Officers in their efforts to increase the levels of safety in an area of the city that experiences exceptionally high vehicular and pedestrian footfall even before the staging of the city’s two biggest Christmas festive events.”

            In response to a Member’s question, as to whether one lane of traffic could be closed instead of the entire road, the City Events Manager explained that this had been trialled the previous year but had been unsuccessful as a number of people ignored the closures and it was felt that it presented an unacceptable level of risk to the many pedestrians, motorists and other road users during the final set-up of the Christmas Market and the Switch-on.

            The Committee agreed the proposed road closure arrangements for the 2017 Christmas Lights Switch-on, which would take place on Saturday, 18th November, and for such changes to be utilised for all future Christmas Lights Switch-on events, subject to the Council’s Events and Festivals strategic review.