Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

 

“1.0     Purpose of Report

 

1.1            The purpose of the report is to provide Members with an update on community planning with a specific focus on the work being taken forward by the City Development Board.

 

2.0       Recommendations

 

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

 

(i)          Note the on-going work being progressed through the Belfast Agenda’s City Development Board.

 

(ii)        Note the alignment and synergies with the work of the Committee.

 

(iii)      Note the feedback from the City Development Board Workshop on 19 November and the priority areas identified by partners, as well as support from non-statutory partners including DfI, DfC and SIB and the private sector to lead focused discussions and coalesce with partners.

 

(iv)      The role and ongoing opportunities for Elected Members to input and shape the work being taken forward through Community Planning Partnership, including the refresh of the Belfast Agenda and associated delivery plans, over the coming months and years.

 

3.0            Main report

 

Background

 

3.1       Members will be aware that a series of delivery focused Boards have been established to enable and encourage greater collaboration across city partners to deliver the ambitions and priorities set out within the Belfast Agenda and address key challenges facing the city and its communities.

 

City Development Board Update

 

3.2       Members will also be aware the work underway to review and refresh the Belfast Agenda for the period 2022-2026.  Since the launch of the review in September 2021, we have been continuing the conversation with our city partners, including through the established Delivery Boards, to help shape the refresh the Belfast Agenda.

 

On 19th November a workshop was held with the City Development Board, chaired by Neil McInroy former Chief Executive of CLES. The workshop had a strong attendance with representation across the VCSE, statutory partners, Belfast Chamber as well as representatives from the local development community. The session also involved Senior Officials within DfI, DfC, NIHE and SIB with focused discussions amongst the Board members to secure collective agreement on actions and interventions. Specifically, the workshop focused on:

 

·        Taking stock of the current priority themes of the City Development Board in the context of Belfast Agenda commitments through the lens of Housing-Led Regeneration; Regeneration and Investment; Future City Centre; Connectivity, Access and Active Travel.

 

·        Securing collective agreement on a small number of priority interventions that the Board can drive forward over the coming 4-years.

 

·        Shaping and influencing the refresh of the Belfast Agenda and associated delivery plans.

 

The out-workings of this workshop will feed into subsequent engagement phases, enabling the co-design of action plans and a relevant, refreshed Belfast Agenda which can deliver a positive impact for everyone in the city. 

 

3.4       A number of key overarching areas which emerged during the workshop discussions are summarised below:

 

·        It was felt that City Development should be drawn out as an additional priority in the ongoing refresh of the Belfast Agenda.

 

·        There was general consensus that the priorities are the right ones with housing led regeneration and connectivity in its widest sense highlighted as particularly important priorities for the city, with delivery of A Bolder Vision for Belfast viewed as being critical.

 

·        A permanent residential population in the city core is critical to the next stage of city development, alongside the development of housing regeneration across the city.

 

·        It was discussed that a holistic approach should be taken to connectivity, access and active travel - important that this was considered collectively across all partners particularly given its cross-cutting nature and the number of different stakeholders involved. 

 

·        The opportunity to take forward the framework of the Council’s Future City Centre Programme as a collective partnership approach to help address the challenges issues impacting upon the city centre.

 

·        The importance of the city centre for economic reasons but also the need to create experiences within the city centre which would encourage people to visit and dwell.

·        Importance also of neighbourhood centres /arterial routes and ensuring complementarity with the city centre.

 

·        Diversification of the city centre offer is critical to include residential, culture and leisure type uses creating a 24 hour, 15 minute city. Need to create the conditions to make the city centre an attractive place to live.

 

·        Given the significance of the climate agenda, activities to reduce carbon and support climate adaption are important, and that we align the work of the City Development Board with the Resilience and Sustainability Board.

 

·        The availability of land/space across the city was highlighted as an opportunity to enable and unlock city development priorities, including housing, specifically in relation to targeting dereliction and vacancy.

 

·        Important to work with developers to encourage sustainable development and maximise opportunities to maximise wider social benefits including more green space, sustainable initiatives, and support increased biodiversity.

 

·        Consideration should be given to protecting and enhancing our environment and built heritage as part of future focus of the Board.

 

·        Belfast needs to compete with other cities.  Its investment proposition should be reinforced and shared amongst partners.   Measure what is in the Belfast Agenda – have clear targets, indicators and measure progress. 

 

·        Master-planning, placemaking and good urban design are very important for successful city development.

 

·        Co-ordination of activities important particularly given the disparate nature of powers and resources across various stakeholders.  Lots of activity – who is the conductor?  Role of Community Planning viewed as being critical to help drive progress.

 

3.5       In addition to the workshop it is important to note that there have been other significant areas of work which have already commenced and/or are emerging across the City Development Board’s four priority themes – some examples are outlined below.

 

Housing-Led Regeneration

 

3.6       As reported to the Committee in December under a Housing Led Regeneration update report, a Housing-Led Regeneration Delivery Group has been established under the auspices of the Community Planning Partnership; City Development Board and is chaired by NIHE Chief Executive and membership including BCC, DfC, SIB and LPS. Of particular relevance to this Committee is the direct alignment with this group and the work around progressing the both the city centre and city-wide strategic site assessments and seeking to unblock some of the challenges impacting on the delivery of housing regeneration.   To note also the alignment with recommendations in relation to housing as presented within the Innovation and Inclusive Growth Commission “Reset for Growth” report. This includes the recommendations around establishing a delivery vehicle to utilise public sector land and undertake land assembly to facilitate housing at scale across the city centre.

 

City Regeneration and Development

 

3.7       There is now a focused drive with partners to consider how we reflect the considerations of the Board in relation to the priority area of City Regeneration and Development on a city wide basis. This involves looking at how partners can best work together to ensure our strategic intent is taken forward. In relation to key areas of discussion from the workshop and opportunities to add value these included:

 

·             Important that we clearly understand the key regeneration and place-shaping powers required to support the focus and ambitions of the Board and how these can be best levered amongst partners to deliver on priorities.

 

·             Consideration of how major consented and proposed development / regeneration schemes can be maximised in terms of wider economic, social and environmental impacts.  Consideration also of the challenges impacting upon the delivery of such schemes and the role that partners could play to unlocking some of these barriers and ensuring that the wider economic, social and environmental impacts are realised.

 

·             Partnership opportunities for financing should be explored and consideration of the role of this Board and the other CPP Boards in identifying external funding opportunities and collectively prioritising projects or priority areas for external funding opportunities amongst partners.  

 

·             Highlighted the importance of enhancing access and connectivity to the arterial routes and communities. 

 

·             Accelerate investment opportunities to bring forward mixed tenure city centre housing stock and to maximise the wider regeneration benefits for the city centre and how we may enhance / educate perceptions of city living.

 

·             Highlighted the need for a targeted and holistic approach to addressing the challenges around dereliction and vacancy in both local neighbourhoods and city centre. Consideration to be given as to how best to scope strategic opportunities for existing vacant / derelict space and explore potential opportunities to bring forward proposals for meanwhile uses in vacant spaces pending longer term development and also consider opportunities for enhanced greening.  This would link in with the housing led regeneration work.

 

·             Important that we secure clear ownership and accountability for implementation and delivering outcomes.

 

Connectivity, Access and Active Travel

 

3.8       Progression of A Bolder Vision (ABV) was highlighted as being a critical priority although reiterated that this would require the support and buy in of a number pf partners and Government Departments and aligned resourcing (financial and delivery).  The Board highlighted the opportunities which are presented through the ABV proposals, specifically on strengthening the city core and addressing perceived severance to surrounding communities and enhancing connectivity. Highlighted also was the criticality of progressing the Belfast Metropolitan Travel Plan and new Belfast Local Area Plan to act as key enablers and drivers to unblock the city and region’s growth ambitions.  In addition, enhanced public transport options including extension of the Glider; delivery of key greenway projects; policy changes and modal shift; improvements to critical inner ring road junctions and waterfront development were also considered as priority areas.   

 

3.9       It was highlighted that connectivity was not just about active travel but also enhanced public transport options; treatment of the inner ring road (including key junctions); maximising the waterfront and blueways; removing severance and barriers to movement between city centre and surrounding communities.     

 

3.10     The Board felt that it was important that connectivity, access and active travel should be considered collectively across all partners particularly given its cross-cutting nature and the number of different stakeholders involved.  It was felt that a holistic approach and better co-ordination was needed of the various policies plans, projects and proposals across all partners, to ensure a collective and cumulative impact.  It was considered that the Board could play an important role in this as part of the forward priority actions for the Board.   Members will also note that they had previously agreed that an overarching Connectivity Framework be brought back as part of this Committees workplan.

 

Future City Centre

 

3.11     As previously reported to Committee in October, a City Centre Delivery Group is to be established to drive collaboration and delivery. It was felt that the framework adopted by Councils’ Future City Centre (FCC) programme provides an opportunity to harness added value through a collective partner approach in driving this programme forward. In relation to feedback from the workshop on this priority area the following key considerations have been collated:

 

·             Highlighted the ongoing work of the High Street Taskforce and the importance of engaging with this and seeking to secure appropriate funding and clarity of responsibility for delivery.

 

·             Development of a specific action plan for the city centre, with commitment from all partners to the delivery of specific projects and programmes.  The Council’s Future City Centre Programme was considered as a sound basis for developing this action plan.

 

·             Important that we adopt an experience-based approach to creating a destination of choice. We need to ensure that we are utilising all the skill sets that we have in the city to ensure that this happens.

 

·             Access and utilising the waterfront, as a unique selling point for the city, should be a priority.

 

·             Need to revisit the governance and possible extension of place-shaping regeneration powers.

 

·             Potential to bring empty shops back to life by making ground floors active for meanwhile space. Noted that BCC was bringing forward a Vacancies Programme and better utilising under-utilised sites (e.g., Council owned surface-level carparks which have been subject to Council’s Strategic Site Assessments).

 

·             Address dereliction and vacant sites (public and private sector owned) via use of greening/biodiversity and meanwhile uses pending longer-term development.

 

·             Activity around enhancing the heritage offering should be progressed.

 

·             Highlighted the need to consider, identify and bring forward smaller-scale actions including tactical regeneration, activation of space, improved lighting, meanwhile uses etc which can add vibrancy and deliver quick wins.

 

·             Opportunities to explore potential asset transfer, including within the public sector.

 

3.12     The immediate focus with the Board is now working to translate the proposals and activities from the workshop into a composite action plan.  A co-design approach is being adopted whereby actively engaging with key partners and stakeholders to help shape and to secure buy-in and commitment and importantly the resources to support implementation.   

 

3.13     Role of Elected Members

 

Elected Members will be engaged as part of this process and help shape the priorities and action plans going forward for the next 4-years. The All-Party Members Working Group will be a key platform for Members to have line-of-sight and input into the work being taken forward through Community Planning and the respective delivery boards.  Regular update reports will also be brought to this group alongside the Committee for consideration and input.

 

Financial and Resource Implications

 

3.14     Any financial implications arising from this report will be covered from existing budgets. The review process will involve the participation of all community planning partners, who will need to commit their resources to the review process and the agreed action plans.

 

Equality or Good Relations Implications/

Rural Needs Assessment

 

3.15     There are no equality, good relations or rural need implications in this report.”

 

The Committee:

 

·        Noted the on-going work being progressed through the Belfast Agenda’s City Development Board;

 

·        Noted the alignment and synergies with the work of the Committee;

 

·        Noted the feedback from the City Development Board Workshop on 19 November and the priority areas identified by partners, as well as support from non-statutory partners, including DfI, DfC and SIB and the private sector to lead focused discussions and coalesce with partners; and

 

·        Noted the role and ongoing opportunities for Elected Members to input and shape the work being taken forward through Community Planning Partnership, including the refresh of the Belfast Agenda and associated delivery plans, over the coming months and years.