Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

 

“Relevant Background Information

 

      Members will be aware that, in June 2003, the DSD published ‘People and Place: A Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal’, a document which aims to tackle the complex, multi-dimensional nature of Northern Ireland’s most disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods.  In order to progress this agenda, DSD progressed the establishment of 12 Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships within the BCC area.  Each Partnership was tasked with producing a Vision Framework (7-10 years) and Action Plan (3 years) for the Neighbourhood Renewal area. The 12 Partnerships are:

 

-  Inner East  Belfast                    -  Inner South Belfast

-  South West Belfast                   -  Greater Shankill

-  Greater Falls                             -  Lenadoon

-  Upper Springfield                     -  Crumlin/Ardoyne

-  Inner North Belfast                   -  Andersonstown

-  Ligoniel                                      -  Upper Ardoyne/Ballysillan

 

      Each Partnership has developed its Action Plan which was submitted to DSD for consideration.  These Plans proposed thousands of actions that would need to be delivered by a range of organisations in key areas such as housing, health, education, community safety, good relations, employability, community development, culture, tourism, leisure, children and young people, older people and environmental and physical improvement.

 

Key Issues

 

      The Council has become a key participant in the neighbourhood renewal process and to date the following support has been provided:

 

-     overall coordination of the Council’s response to Neighbourhood Renewal facilitated through SNAP.

 

-     Neighbourhood Development Officers from the SNAP Team in place to co-ordinate the delivery of actions within each Plan.

 

-     officer participation provided on all 12 Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships through Community Services.

 

-     Action Plan responses prepared for each of the 12 Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships Action Plans.

 

-     establishment of a Neighbourhood Renewal Working Group comprising Council Neighbourhood Renewal representatives and representatives from Council Departments.

 

-     formal presentations and workshops delivered to the Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships.

 

-     creation of a Neighbourhood Renewal Database detailing all key actions and implications for the Council in the Neighbourhood Renewal process.

 

-     commitment to deliver on Neighbourhood Renewal is embedded within the new Corporate Plan.

 

-     provision of SNAP area-based intelligence to support the Neighbourhood Renewal process.

 

-     development of the Neighbourhood Renewal section of the Council website, creating a central repository for all Action Plans and responses.

 

-     integration of Neighbourhood Renewal within the Council’s SNAP/Local Area Working agenda.

 

-     Neighbourhood Renewal resource directories prepared for the Partnerships detailing Council services and key staff working in the local area.

 

-     on-going work with BRO regarding the development of a pilot partnership approach to the implementation of the Neighbourhood Renewal Action Plan in Lenadoon.  An update will be presented to Committee in due course.

 

      Next steps

 

      Whilst work is on-going with regard to the implementation of the Council's response to the Neighbourhood Renewal Action Plans there are a number of pieces of work that are on-going that may have implications for future service delivery. These include the following:-

 

-     the NRP's are all currently reviewing and updating their Action Plans. These plans may have implications for BCC services. The Plans will be made available in due course.

 

-     the likely transfer of Neighbourhood Renewal to Councils through the Review of Public Administration.

 

-     BRO is currently working to develop a Service Delivery model in Neighbourhood Renewal Areas which will have implications for how its services are delivered across these areas in future. They completed the first stage in this process which is to map the organisations and services currently funded.

 

-     finally, DSD has recently appointed consultants to develop a policy framework on Urban Regeneration and Community Development. The role of Neighbourhood Renewal will be considered within this.

 

      Updates will be provided to Members in due course.

 

Resource Implications

 

      Coordinated by the SNAP Manager

 

Recommendations

 

      Members are asked to note the content of the report and Appendix One.

 

Decision Tracking

 

      None

 

Key Abbreviations

 

NR             Neighbourhood Renewal

NRPs        Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships

NRA          Neighbourhood Renewal Area

NRAP        Neighbourhood Renewal Action Plan

NDO          Neighbourhood Development Officer

SNAP        Strategic Neighbourhood Action Programme

YENI         Young Enterprise Northern Ireland

DSD          Department for Social Development

BRO          Belfast Regeneration Office

LIAG          Local Implementation Action Group

MUGA       Multi-Use Games Area

ASB           Anti Social Behaviour

CC             Community Centre

PACT        Partners and Communities Together

LOTS        Living over the Shops

SRF           Strategic Regeneration Framework

HUB          Hybrid UseBuilding.

KPI            Key Performance Indicator”

 

            The Committee noted the information provided and that a copy of the appendix referred to in the report was available on Modern.gov.