Development Committee 15 October 2007
From Nigov
Development Committee Monday, 15th October, 2007
MEETING OF DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Members present
Councillor M. Browne (Chairman); the Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Kelly); and Councillors Attwood, Convery, Cunningham, Ekin, Hartley, Humphrey, C. Maskey, McCarthy, McCausland, Mhic Giolla Mhín and Stoker.
Also attended
The Rt. Hon. the Lord Mayor (Councillor Rodgers), the High Sheriff (Councillor Kirkpatrick) and Councillors Lavery, Mullaghan and Rodway.
In attendance
- Ms. M. T. McGivern (Director of Development)
- Ms. S. McCay (Head of Economic Initiatives)
- Ms. C. Taggart (Community Services Manager)
- Mr. T. Husbands (Managing Director, the Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Halls)
- Mr. N. Malcolm (Committee Administrator)
Apology
An apology for inability to attend was reported from Councillor Campbell.
Minutes
The minutes of the meetings of 12th and 18th September were taken as read and signed as correct. It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 1st October.
Castlecourt and North West Quarter
Pursuant to its decision of 8th August, the Committee received Messrs. M. Griffith, R. Hart, S. Hassel and W. Pinkerton on behalf of Westfield Shoppingtowns Limited regarding its proposals for Castlecourt and the wider development of the North West Quarter of the City.
Mr. Hassel informed the Members that Westfield Shoppingtowns Limited had plans to develop the Castlecourt Shopping Centre. However, they were unable to undertake any such work due to a decision taken a number of years ago by the Government to introduce a sequential planning process which prioritised the Victoria Square development in the City. His Company believed that if Castlecourt were allowed to expand it would assist the existing traders within the City, would attract additional new shops to Belfast and would benefit consumers.
Mr. Hassel indicated that the commercial situation within Belfast had changed since the Department for Social Development had introduced the sequential planning process and that there was no longer any reason to prevent Westfield from undertaking its proposed expansion of Castlecourt. He pointed out that it would take a number of years for the planning application to be processed and for the extension to Castlecourt to be built, by which time the Victoria Square development would be well established within the City.
Mr. Hassel concluded his presentation by requesting that the Council support Westfield Shoppingtowns Limited in its efforts to persuade the Government to abandon its sequential planning process, which prevented the Company from applying for permission to extend Castlecourt.
He then answered various questions which were put to him by the Members, following which the deputation retired from the meeting.
Following discussion in the matter, the Committee requested that the Officers of the Development Department prepare a report to be submitted to a future meeting regarding the issues raised by the deputation.
Multi-Annual Funding for Culture and Arts
The Managing Director of the Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Halls presented the undernoted report on applications which had been submitted from culture and arts organisations in respect of Multi-Annual Funding.
During discussion in the matter, a Member raised concerns regarding certain aspects of the report regarding the application from Cinemagic.
Accordingly, after further discussion, the Committee agreed to defer consideration of the application from Cinemagic and agreed also that the undernoted organisations receive Multi-Annual Funding:
- Beat Initiative
- Belfast Community Circus
- Belfast Exposed
- Belfast Festival at Queen's
- Crescent Arts Centre
- Grand Opera House
- Linenhall Library
- Lyric Theatre
- New Belfast Community Arts Initiative
- Northern Visions
- Old Museum Arts Centre
- Ulster Orchestra
- Young at Art
The Committee agreed further that the deadline for the receipt of applications for Multi-Annual and Annual Funding for the year 2007/2008 be 16th November, the budget for which would be approximately £960,000, allowing for an inflationary increase of 4% from the current year.
Rolling Programme to Support Innovation in Culture, Arts and Heritage
The Managing Director of the Waterfront and Ulster Halls reminded the Committee that the former Development (Arts) Sub-Committee, at its meeting on 4th January, had agreed to the continuation of the Rolling Programme to Support Innovation in Culture and Arts during the financial year 2007/2008. He pointed out that the purpose of the Programme was to assist arts or heritage organisations to avail of the opportunity of grant-aid which arose during the year, including those which became available after the closing date for the Annual Funding and Multi-Annual Funding applications. Grants awarded through the Scheme would range from £250 to £3,000.
He reported that the undernoted applications for funding under the Programme had been received:
|Organisation |Event |Amount |Recommendation | | | |Requested | | |Creative Exchange |The development of a project involving |£3,000 |Funding of £2,660 | | |twelve artists with a perceived mental | | | | |or physical disability | | | |Belfast Charitable Society |The undertaking of a feasibility study |£3,000 |Not to award a grant on this | | |and the digitalisation of the Society's | |occasion | | |historic archive material | | | |Lagan Legacy |The development of an oral/visual |£5,000 |Funding of £2,000 | | |reminiscences project entitled "Oceans | | | | |in Mind" | | | |Kabosh |The commissioning of a playwright to |£3,000 |Funding of £2,660 | | |create a script focusing on the | | | | |experiences of the Jewish community in | | | | |Belfast | | |
The Committee adopted the recommendations.
Arts Council of Northern Ireland Conference
The Committee was advised that the Arts Council of Northern Ireland would be hosting in the Grand Opera House on 8th November a Conference entitled "Art at the Heart". The Conference, which would explore the theme of socially and politically engaged art, had a delegate fee of £60.
The Director of Development recommended that any Member of the Committee who so wished, together with a maximum of three officers, be authorised to attend the Conference.
The Committee adopted the recommendation and authorised the payment of the associated Conference fees and subsistence and travelling allowances in connection therewith.
Annual Events Programme
The Committee considered the undernoted report.
Following further discussion, the Committee adopted the recommendations contained within the report.
Interreg Multi-Annual Plan
The Committee considered the undernoted report regarding the Interreg Multi-Annual Plan.
After discussion, the Committee adopted the recommendations.
City Branding
The Director reminded the Members that a City Branding initiative was being undertaken in order to position Belfast competitively in the national and international marketplace and that a leading firm of branding experts, Lloyd Northover, had been appointed to facilitate the process. She reported that the Company was in the process of undertaking research to test a number of brand propositions and suggested that it would be beneficial for the Committee to receive at its monthly meeting in November a presentation from Lloyd Northover regarding its findings.
The Committee agreed to receive a presentation on the City Branding initiative at its November meeting.
World Travel Market
The Committee was advised that the World Travel Market would be taking place in London on 12th November. This event provided an opportunity for the Council to launch new initiatives and to advise national marketing agencies, travel writers and tour operators of new tourism opportunities in Belfast.
The Director indicated that two new Belfast Guides would be launched at the World Travel Market and that attendance at the event would cost in the region of £600 per person.
The Committee approved the attendance at the event of the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman and the Head of Economic Initiatives, or their nominees, and authorised the payment of the associated travel and subsistence allowances in connection therewith.
Draft Community Support Plan 2007-2010
The Committee considered the undernoted report.
During discussion in the matter, several Members expressed reservations regarding certain aspects of the draft Plan and suggested that consideration of the matter be deferred. However, having been advised by the Director that the document required to be submitted to the Department for Social Development not later than 31st October in order that the Council might receive funding for the Community Support Plan, the Committee agreed that the draft Plan, a copy of which is available on the Members' Portal, be submitted to the Department and that the document be considered further at the November meeting of the Committee. It was agreed also that the initiation of the public consultation exercise regarding the draft Community Support Plan be delayed for one month but that the Development Department commence immediately the consultation process with the Party Groupings on the Council. In addition, the Committee noted that, since it was intended to finalise the staffing structure for the Community Services Unit by April, 2008, no further action would be taken regarding the introduction of an interim structure.
Strategic Neighbourhood Action Programme - City Places
The Director reminded the Members that the Strategic Neighbourhood Action Programme had been established in April in order to allow the Council to develop policies and procedures which would enable it to target its service delivery more accurately within well defined small geographical areas across Belfast, which were to be known as "City Places". She indicated that in recent months research had been undertaken to identify a range of options as to how "City Places" might be identified. These were:
(i) areas with an average population size of 13,704 and a maximum of 17,721;
(ii) areas with an average population size of 19,163 and a maximum of 23,663;
(iii) areas with an average population size of 12,702 and a maximum of 17,000 and which used the proposed Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan boundary for the City centre; and
(iv) areas with an average population size of 14,494 and a maximum of 19,643 and which would be aligned closely with the Belfast Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership areas.
The Director outlined the advantages and disadvantages of the four options and pointed out that in recent weeks a number of the political parties represented on the Council had been briefed regarding this matter.
Arising from discussion in the matter, several Members expressed concern that only Central Government Departments were represented on the Belfast Strategy Group, which had been established by the Department for Social Development to develop overarching strategies in relation the Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships.
After further discussion, the Committee agreed that Option 1, as outlined above, be used to define the "City Places" within the Strategic Neighbourhood Action Programme. In addition, the Committee agreed that a letter be issued to the Minister with responsibility for the Department for Social Development requesting that the membership of the Belfast Strategy Group be expanded to include Council representation and representatives from other Public Sector stakeholders.
Neighbourhood Renewal
The Committee was reminded that twelve Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships were operating currently within Belfast. Although these organisations were at various stages of development, seven of them had submitted Action Plans to the Council for consideration. The Director reported that the Council had prepared a response to the Action Plan which had been submitted by the Inner East Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership, a copy of which had been circulated and was available on the Members' Portal.
The Committee endorsed the contents of the response to the Inner East Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership's Action Plan.
Summer Playscheme 2007
The Committee noted the contents of a report regarding grants which had been awarded or applications which had been rejected in connection with the 2007 Summer Playscheme, under powers which had been delegated to the Director by the Community and Recreation (Community and Leisure Services) Sub-Committee at its meeting on 8th May.
Council's Response to Barring Consultation
The Committee noted the contents of a report regarding the Council's response to a consultation exercise concerning the implementation of legislation in Northern Ireland which aimed to establish a list of people who would be barred from working with children, young people and vulnerable adults.
After discussion, the Committee agreed to note the contents of the report.
Clarawood Community Association - Anne Napier Centre Lease
The Community Services Manager advised the Committee that the Clarawood Community Association had, until 2005, obtained funding from the Council in connection with a community project based in the Anne Napier Centre. However, due to difficulties between the Association and the Belfast Education and Library Board, the Group had ceased to exist in the Spring of 2003. Subsequently, a new Group had been formed early in 2004 in order to re-start the project. To prevent a similar situation arising, it had been suggested by the Board that the Council become the tenant of the Centre under a Licence Agreement and, consequently, sub-let the building to the new Clarawood Community Association.
She reported that negotiations with the Board regarding the Licence Agreement had been taking place for the previous two years, with the only outstanding issue to be resolved being the level of rent to be applied, and that a Lease had been prepared by the Legal Services Department. It had been intended originally that the Council would pay only a peppercorn rent for the building. However, due to the recent financial difficulties which had been experienced by the Belfast Education and Library Board, it had been established that the Council would be charged a sum not to exceed £6,637.23 per year to cover internal and external maintenance and utilities charges. This figure did not include any rental charge which would be determined by the District Valuer. A formal agreement with Clarawood Community Association could not be reached until the full cost implications were known. She indicated that it was anticipated the full costs would be passed on to the Community Association who would pay it out of the revenue grant which it would receive from the Council, thus ensuring that there would be no direct cost to the Council. However, if the Association were unable for any reason to pay this amount, the Council would still be liable for the charge made by the Belfast Education and Library Board.
Noted.
Chairman
