Minutes:
The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 7th February, it had agreed that Belfast City Marathon Limited be invited to attend a future meeting to discuss proposed changes to the City’s marathon.
Accordingly, Mr. D. Seaton MBE, Chairman, Mr. J. Glover, Course Developer, Mrs. C. O’Neill, Event Manager, Mrs. E. Riddell, Marketing and Events Officer, and Mr. J. Allen, Board Member, were welcomed by the Chairperson.
Mr. Seaton informed the Committee that the Belfast City Marathon had first been held in 1982 and that it raised over £1 million annually for local charities. The event had since been expanded to include a Fun Run, an eight mile walk and a Team Relay. He explained that, following feedback from a number of sources, Belfast City Marathon Limited was proposing to change, from 2019 onwards, the route of the marathon, which he pointed out had remained unchanged for the past thirteen years. It was proposing also to stage the event on the Sunday immediately prior to May Day.
He drew the Committee’s attention to the revisions which had been made to the current route and pointed out that it was being proposed that the marathon would commence at the City Hall and would finish within the grounds of the Stormont Estate. He outlined the primary factors which had influenced those revisions, including the fact that the route was regarded as being more ‘runner friendly’ and that it would incorporate iconic landmarks such as The Queen’s University, the Falls and Shankill Roads and the Titanic Quarter. In terms of running the event on a Sunday, there would be likely to be increased participation, resulting in additional hospitality and retail spend, and policing costs would be reduced.
In response to a number of issues which had been raised by the Members around Belfast City Marathon Limited’s proposals, Mr. Seaton and Mr. Glover confirmed that:
· should the Ormeau Road be reinstated on the route and the event finish, as proposed, within the Stormont Estate, it would be likely that it would pass too early in the morning to benefit residents and businesses and would necessitate the crossing of several arterial routes;
· Belfast City Marathon Limited would be engaging extensively with local churches around both the revised route and the change in the day of the marathon and would be seeking to keep disruption to a minimum;
· that section of the route which passed through parts of West Belfast had changed little in the past ten years but now included the Peace Walls;
· the Stormont Estate had been selected as the finishing point, on the basis that it had been offered free of charge and there were increasing costs associated with the continued use of the Ozone Complex/Ormeau Park for that purpose;
· Belfast City Marathon Limited was limited in its choice of routes by restrictions imposed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland and other stakeholders; and
· the Waterworks Park had been included within the marathon route as it provided an attractive backdrop for runners.
Mr. Seaton concluded by confirming that Belfast City Marathon Limited would, as part of the consultation process, take into account the comments which had been expressed by the Members, in relation to its proposals.
The Chairperson thanked the deputation for their contribution and they left the meeting.
After discussion, the Committee noted the information which had been provided and agreed that officers provide, in advance of the consultation process, details of the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s input into the choice of routes for the Belfast City Marathon and of the charges levied by GLL for the use of the Ozone/Ormeau Park.