Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following 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, in the first instance 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 which was taken to SP&R on 20th October resulting in ongoing Party Group briefings.

 

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       In the Belfast Agenda we identify the four key areas we want to focus on in the next 4 years (the period of the Community Plan).  One of the four key priorities identified is ‘Living Here’, for this area of focus we have described the difference we want to make, the stretch goals or targets we want to achieve and the population indicators that we think this work will impact.

 

3.3       Some of these targets over the next four years include;

 

-       delivering £1billion of physical investment in neighbourhoods;

-       improve how safe people feel within our neighbourhoods;

-       supporting communities to make progress towards reducing the number of physical barriers at interface sites.

 

3.4       It is also worth noting that one of the key workstreams contained within the ‘Living Here’ priority is to ‘Design an integrated, inter-agency approach to neighbourhood regeneration and maximise the impact of local assets and investment’.

 

3.5       Despite significant capital and revenue investment in local areas across Belfast, it is the case that sometimes we are not maximising the opportunities and resources available to us in a coordinated way as effectively as we would like. However, 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.

 

3.6       To help achieve our goals identified in the Belfast Agenda 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 and resources available, the Council have the potential to lead on developing an emerging area planning model for delivering against the priorities identified in the Belfast Agenda by integrating a range of programmes and services and associated staff resources. 

 

            Peace IV

 

3.7       One of the opportunities we have to test this area planning approach exists through Peace IV.  Council officers have been working closely with 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 & 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.

 

3.8       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 along this corridor as possible physical regeneration projects with significant programming opportunities also forming part of the submission.

 

3.9       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

 

3.10     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 and other investors.

 

3.11     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), DFC capital programmes and potential developments of the Invest NI site.  Recent major investment in the area also includes the Innovation factory and E3 campus.

 

3.12     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

 

3.13     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.

 

            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 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.

 

            Further Opportunities for Area Planning across the City

 

3.18     We are aware that we need to develop our area planning approach in other areas across the city; To align both the work of the Council, and that of partners, including the community and voluntary sector in a meaningful way is complicated and will require significant development over a number of years.

 

3.19     However, through work we are undertaking as part of our change programme within the Council in terms of how we improve service delivery at a local level we have an opportunity to realign current resources alongside new investment to see how we can maximise current opportunities and test and develop how we do this.

 

3.20     There are opportunities to develop similar area planning approaches in other parts of the city, for example we have been testing and learning how we might do this work through our locality planning work in four areas across the city.  Initial learning from this and other integrated work programmes can inform how we develop a coordinated area planning approach.

 

            Next steps

 

3.21     Following discussion on this subject at SP&R in October Chief officers are currently undertaking party group briefings to receive more detailed feedback from members on the development of an area planning approach.  Once briefings are complete, further engagement with members will take place at Area Working groups on how this work will be taken forward, which will include potential opportunity areas to develop similar models.

 

3.22     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.

 

            Staff: 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 being undertaken through the change programme.

 

3.23     Equality or Good Relations Implications

 

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

           

            The Committee noted the report.