Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      Members will recall that Belfast City Council had agreed to coordinate the further design of the Broadway Junction Art Piece, including management of the contract and the partnership agreements, as part of the improvement of the M1/Westlink.

      The Broadway Junction Art Piece project has been taken forward since 2005 through the Broadway Project Board, a partnership between the Department for Regional Development (Roads Service), Belfast City Centre Regeneration Directorate (Department for Social Development), the Arts Council for Northern Ireland (ACNI) and Belfast City Council (BCC).  The Roads Service is responsible for the ongoing structural work relating to the roundabout/junction, which is part of the M1/Westlink improvement scheme, and the Arts Council and DSD are providing the majority of funding for the project.

      The commission was awarded through an international competition and a two stage selection process.  The Development (Arts) Sub-Committee was advised on 5 October 2005 that Ed Carpenter's proposal, Trillian, had been selected by the judging panel (which included invited community representatives) to carry out the commission.  The artist eventually submitted a financial offer which was significantly in excess of the available budget and the Broadway Project Board regrettably but unanimously agreed to abandon the Trillian proposal and to re-launch the project as a new open competition.  Through the selection process a new artist, Wolfgang Buttress, was appointed with his sculpture called Rise. This is a globe shaped white and silver aluminum sculpture – a representation of a new sun rising to celebrate a new chapter in the history of Belfast.  Rise will be visible from several miles away when it is constructed.

      Consultation with the community has been noted as an important aspect of the programme and has been an ongoing development of the project.  A public meeting took place in Spring 2009 in the Greater Village Regeneration Trust, which was attended by a Belfast City Council officer and the artist and members of the general public. 

      A positive response was received and it is intended to develop a structured programme of events in communities located near the roundabout.  In addition, specialised workshops ‘Rise up and Write’ have been included into the City Hall reopening programme.  These are open to all schools in Belfast wishing to take part in poetry and visual art workshops facilitated by Wolfgang Buttress and New Belfast Community Arts Initiative.

      Projected Budget

      The following budget has been agreed as the basis for the project in 2007 - 2009.

Key Issues

      Project Update

      Planning permission was granted for the sculpture to be placed at Broadway Roundabout with a caveat “that the application hereby permitted shall not be commenced until an application for Technical Approval/Certification has been submitted to and approved by Roads Service”.  In order for Roads Service to be satisfied they require a series of four checks, the costs of which were not considered in the original budget and which have increased the cost of the proposal to £486K.   It has also resulted in a delay in the construction of the sculpture which was initially due to be completed by November 2009.

      The Broadway Project Board met on 15th September 2009 where it was agreed to continue to support the project and seek additional resources to cover these unforeseen costs.  Roads Service are unable to make any financial contribution and DSD have in principle agreed a further £30,000 if other partners were willing to award funding to the remaining shortfall of £36,000. A further application for £36,000 has been made to another ACNI public art funding programme which was due to close on 24th September 2009.

      The Broadway Project Board requested that an application be made to Belfast City Council to underpin the remaining £36,000 shortfall if it cannot be sourced elsewhere.

Resource Implications

      Additional funding of £36,000 is being sought by the Broadway Project Board from the Council should funding for the shortfall not be forthcoming from other sources.  Members are reminded that no budget allocation is available within current budgets.

Recommendations

      It is recommended that the Committee consider the above report and agree to request officers to examine the Development Department’s budget to ascertain if the £36,000 shortfall can be found from savings elsewhere.

Decision Tracking

      The full outcome of all funding decisions relating to the shortfall will be reported to the Committee in December.

      Timeframe:  December 2009     Reporting Officer:  Shirley McCay

Key to Abbreviations

      ACNI - Arts Council for Northern Ireland

      DSD – Department of Social Development”

            During discussion in the matter, several Members expressed concern that the Committee was being asked to provide further financial assistance for the project.  The point was made that, since it appeared that the additional costs were in connection with work which had been the responsibility of the Roads Service, the Department for Regional Development, rather than the Council, should be asked to contribute towards the additional costs referred to in the report.  Accordingly, the Committee agreed to request Council officers to endeavour to obtain from other public agencies the shortfall of £36,000 required to ensure the completion of the project and, failing this, to examine the Department’s existing budgets to ascertain if that amount could be found and report back to a future meeting.