Agenda item

The Committee considered the undernoted report:

 

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

 

1.1       The purpose of this report is to:

 

·        Provide members with an update on initial thoughts around developing our approach to area planning using Peace IV as a catalyst to develop this work.

 

2.0       Recommendations

 

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

 

·        Note the contents of this report

·        Approve the further development of this work with initial engagement through Party Group briefings and Area Working Groups.

 

3.0       Main report

 

            Area Planning

 

3.1       The Belfast Agenda is the city’s first community plan which sets out our joint vision and long-term ambitions for Belfast’s future, as well as outlining our priorities for action over the next four years.

 

3.2       One of the key priorities identified in the draft document is ‘living here’ with a key work stream to ‘Design an integrated, inter-agency approach to neighbourhood regeneration and maximise the impact of local assets and investment’.

 

3.3       Despite significant capital and revenue investment in local areas across Belfast, too often we are not maximising the opportunities and resources available to us. Through our community planning process, we now have an opportunity to start to integrate a range of programmes and services at an area level in order to improve outcomes for our residents, and visitors.

 

3.4       To start to progress this, some of the key pieces of work that we want to develop with members and partners include;

 

-       Developing our approach to area working and model for area planning;

-       Developing a neighbourhood regeneration framework which will include a range of key workstreams identified in the Belfast Agenda ,for example, employability and skills, health and wellbeing, community safety, good relations.

 

3.5       To help achieve the above we need to harness some of the opportunities that currently exist through current and planned investment in specific areas.  Where there are current investment opportunities the Council can lead on developing an emerging area planning model for delivering against the priorities identified in the Belfast Agenda. 

 

            Peace IV

 

3.6       One of the opportunities we have to test this area planning approach exists through Peace IV.  Council officers have been working closely with Special European Union Programmes Body (SEUPB) over the past number of months to submit an action plan for Belfast which, if successful will provide significant investment both capital and revenue to deliver a number of projects under the themes of Children and Young People, Shared Spaces and Services and Building Positive Relations.   We have received positive feedback from the SEUPB steering committee and are hopeful that we will be successful in our application for funding.

 

3.7       The Shared Spaces and Service theme that was submitted as part of this plan focused on delivery along the Springfield Road area. This area has a number of interfaces including the longest physical barrier in the city.  In the Peace IV submission, a number of sites are proposed are possible physical regeneration projects with significant programming opportunities also forming part of the submission.

 

3.8       The proposed initiatives under, Peace IV presents a unique opportunity to be a catalyst for social and economic regeneration, peace building and reconciliation through improved connectivity and greater emphasis on shared space.  The Peace IV plan should not be delivered in isolation.  Importantly, existing and potential new programmes of work within the area could also be aligned to build on the potential to improve outcomes for residents in this area.

 

 

 

 

            Complimentary Work

 

3.9       As well as the potential work included in the Peace IV bid there are a number of complementing existing and possible new investment opportunities in this area, both capital and programming, which include approaches from the Council and other statutory partners.

 

3.10     The capital investment opportunities range from potential housing developments, community projects, Belfast City Council capital projects (including those we are delivering under Building Successful Communities), Department for Communities capital programmes and potential developments of the Invest NI site.  Recent major investment in the area also includes the Innovation factory and E3 campus.

 

3.11     There are also opportunities to align programming work of both the council and partners in a more integrated way and contribute to key policy priorities for the city through this area planning approach such as employability and skills, health and wellbeing, community safety and others and start to shape how we do things better at an area level.

 

            Fresh Start

 

3.12     Members will be aware that an Executive Action Plan on ‘Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality and Organised Crime’ was published in July 2016. Recommendation (Action B4) states that:

 

            The Executive should establish a fund to support ambitious initiatives aimed at building capacity in communities in transition, including through developing partnerships across civil society and across community divisions.

 

3.13     In order to progress this recommendation, it was decided to take an area based approach, with the following areas identified within Belfast:

 

1)     New Lodge and Greater Ardoyne.

2)     Lower Falls, Twinbrook, Poleglass, Upper Springfield, Turf Lodge and Ballymurphy.

3)     Shankill (upper and lower, and includes the Woodvale).

4)     The Mount (1) (2) and Ballymacarrett (2) and (3) in East Belfast.

 

3.14     Following a procurement process Co-operation Ireland have been appointed as a Strategic Partner to support the Executive Office (TEO) in the delivery of Action B4, and their role will be to develop Area Transition Plans in respect of each of the identified areas by the New Year.

 

3.15     TEO have made clear as part of the process that the Strategic Partner must engage and consult with Council in order to identify relevant priorities and ongoing work to ensure a co-ordinated and collaborative approach is taken.

 

3.16     Members will note that the areas identified at sub point 2 above fall within the Springfield Road corridor identified within the PEACE IV Shared Space theme. Early engagement with the Strategic Partner has already taken place to explore and exploit potential synergies and opportunities to maximise outcomes through this area based approach.

 

3.17     With regards to these investment opportunities there are a number of significant links and potential synergies which could be brought together in terms of understanding the whole narrative of what can be achieved in this area through investment both physical and revenue.

 

            Other Areas

 

3.18     We are aware that we need to develop our area planning approach across the city; further work will be required to develop this approach.  There are opportunities to develop similar area planning approaches in other parts of the city.  We request that further discussions on this approach take place with elected members through party group briefings and area working groups with regular updates coming back to SP&R.

 

3.19     Financial & Resource Implications

 

            Financial: Council has already submitted a bid to SEUPB with regards to the delivery of the Belfast Action Plan, all delivery costs will be included in this bid.  With regards to the development of an area plan, further work is required to develop this including any potential costs.

 

3.20     Staff: As outlined above staffing costs are included in the Peace IV action plan, further staff resources to work up any future area plans will be allocated from current resource with alignment to the development of our approach to area working

 

3.21     Equality or Good Relations Implications

 

            Any future model on area planning will be screened for equality and good relations implications.”

 

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.