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 update the Committee on the next steps in the progression of Phase 5 of the Alleygating Programme.

 

2.0       Recommendations

 

2.1   The Committee is asked to:

 

i.       note the contents of the report and agree the next steps; and

 

ii.      agree the funding allocation model across the city.

 

3.0       Main Report

 

            Background

 

3.1       The Committee will be aware that the Council has delivered to date four phases of the alleygating programme across the city which has seen the installation of 1081 gates with both Council funding and funding from external funders. 

 

3.2       The total number of gates per area is currently:

 

            North – 307

            South – 278

            East – 250

            West – 246

            Total – 1081

 

            Capital Programme Commitment and Funding Allocation Model

 

3.3       Members will be aware of the Council’s decision as part of the 21/21 rate setting process that £500,000 will be made available from the Capital Programme for alleygates Phase 5 across Belfast.

 

3.4       The Committee is asked to consider how the total budget of £500K is allocated across the city.

 

3.5       It is not possible at this stage to give an approximate price for an average gate as there have been significant fluctuations in the steel market and this will need to be formally priced by the supplier in due course.  This information will be provided to Members at Area Working Group stage.

 

            Alleygates Evaluation / Future Planning

 

3.6       Members will be aware that the People and Communities Committee has already agreed that the Council engage a suitably qualified contractor to under a review of the Alleygates Programme to date, specifically exploring the following:

 

·        the benefits of the scheme within neighbourhoods and how the overall scheme performs against Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles;

 

·        to review the current selection process and identify potential future options for selection of Alleygate locations taking in to account what has worked well and what could be improved to date;

·        to examine if there has been any reduction in crime / return for investment in areas where there has been intense Alleygate installation;

 

·        to examine whether there have been any long-term impacts or reduction in crime within gated areas in general;

 

·        to identify opportunities to maximise the benefits of alleygating by working closer with other partners in the context of wider neighbourhood regeneration;

 

·        to make recommendations about how to maximise the benefits and opportunities from the Alleygate Project, taking into consideration other Council work streams and external strategies;

 

·        to consider the longer-term impact of the continuous alleygating investment to date in the city

 

3.7       It is more important to note that with the level of demand and Member priority attached to alleygating, that a medium-long term planning process and financing strategy will now begin to assess need and plan for a more significant roll out across the city following Phase 5.

 

3.8       The Committee is requested to note that this evaluation, and the future planning process, will be progressed simultaneously with Phase 5 Alleygates (as per the standing Phase 4 criteria).

 

 

            Process for Agreeing Gate Locations

 

3.9       Members should note that the demand for gates throughout the city far outweighs the £500,000 available and, therefore, as part of the Full Business Case approval, it will be necessary to identify those areas to be considered for alleygating in order of evidenced need.

 

3.10      The agreed process for Phase 4 Alleygates recognised that official statistics do not always fully represent actual need, as crime and anti-social behaviour is often under reported in some of the areas of greatest need across Belfast. 

 

3.11      Therefore, the process for agreeing the final list of streets to be gated was revised by the previous Health and Environmental Services Committee to include Area Working Group consideration of the evidence of need based on official statistics.  Area Working Group Members would then use their local knowledge to enrich this evidence of need before making a formal recommendation to Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

 

3.12      Before any engagement can take place with Area Working Groups in relation to potential gate locations, the Outline and Full Business Case must be developed to take this through to a fully committed capital project. 

 

3.13      This combined with the time needed to complete the statistical analysis needed to inform Area Working Group discussions will mean it may be autumn 2021 before officers are in a position to bring forward reports to Area Working Group for discussion on potential gate locations.

 

3.14      Additionally, previously experience indicates that it can take a number of Area Working Group meetings to agree a final list of gate locations to be recommended to Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

 

3.15      It is, therefore, not possible to give a detailed timeline at this stage, but for Members information the indicative timeline is provided below.  Please note the timeline commences at the point at which Strategic Policy and Resources Committee/Council have agreed the gate locations.

 

-       Start - Gate Locations Agreed by SP&R Committee and Full Council

 

-       Month 1 – Regulatory and Community Consultation Commenced

 

-       Month 3 – Regulatory Consultation Completed

 

-       Month 4 – Community Consultation Completed

 

-       Month 5 – Legal Preparation

 

-       Month 7/8 – Notice of Intention Advertised

 

-       Month 8/9 – Clarification of Objections

 

-       Month 9 – People and Communities Committee Consideration of Traffic Regulation Order

 

-       Month 10 – Full Council Approval of Traffic Regulation Order

 

-       Month 10 – Gates Ordered

 

-       Month 12/13 – Gates Manufactured and Installation Commenced

 

-       Month 14 to 16 – Phase 5 Gate Installation Programme rolled out across the city

 

3.16      Members should note that experience has also shown that not all agreed gate locations can be brought forward at the same time to Traffic Regulation Order stage due to objections as part of the community consultation process, not meeting the legal threshold of evidenced ASB to enact the legislation with further work needed and site suitability issues.  Phase 4 Alleygates was brought forward to Traffic Regulation Order stage in four sub phases.

 

3.17      Members should also be aware timelines may be further delayed if the disruption caused by Brexit to supply chains for Alleygates material/parts continues and that orders must be placed with the contractor no later than 30th April ,2022 due to current contract end timescales.

 

            Financial implications

 

3.18      Financial implications are detailed in the body of the report.

 

            Equality, Good Relations Implications and Rural Needs Assessment

 

3.19      An Equality Screening will need to be completed on alleygates Phase 5 in due course.”

 

            During discussion, the Chief Executive confirmed that lists of streets which had been compiled by Members under previous phases would be included for consideration under Phase 5 of the alleygating programme. 

 

            Councillor Groogan made a formal proposal that a scoring/evaluation matrix be developed for Phase 5, in order to ensure that there was transparency around all elements of the decision-making process.

 

            In response, the Director of Neighbourhood Services pointed out that an evaluation of Phases 1 to 4 was ongoing and that its findings, including any relating to the decision-making process, would be used to inform the Council’s approach to alleygating in the longer term. However, the evaluation had yet to progress to a stage where it could be used to fully inform Phase 5 and, should a decision be taken to wait until it was completed, it would significantly delay the commencement of that phase. He confirmed that there was an assessment process used for decision-making around prioritisation.

 

            As there was no seconder for Councillor Groogan’s proposal, it was not put to the meeting.

 

            After further discussion, the Committee noted the contents of the report and agreed that the allocated budget of £500k for Phase 5 again be divided on an equal basis across North, South, East and West Belfast.