Development Committee 6 December 2006
From Nigov
Development Committee Wednesday, 6th December, 2006
MEETING OF DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Members present
Councillor P. Maskey (Deputy Chairman) (in the Chair); the High Sheriff (Councillor Humphrey); and Councillors M. Browne, Convery, Crozier, D. Dodds, Ekin, Hartley, Kelly, Kirkpatrick, Long, McGimpsey, Newton and Stoker.
In attendance
- Ms. M. T. McGivern (Director of Development)
- Ms. S. McCay (Head of Economic Initiatives)
- Ms. S. Wylie (Head of Urban Development)
- Mr. J. Heaney (Committee Administrator)
Apologies
Apologies for inability to attend were reported from the Chairman (Councillor McCausland) and Councillor Ní Chuilín.
Minutes
The minutes of the meetings of 26th October and 15th and 22nd November were taken as read and signed as correct. It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 4th December, subject to
(i) the rejection of the decision of the 15th November under the heading "New Partners for Smart Growth Annual Conference" agreeing that the Committee be represented at the aforementioned Conference, the Council agreed that it be not represented at the Conference; and
(ii) the amendment of the minute of 15th November under the heading "Belfast International Airport", to provide that all Members of the Council be invited to attend a special meeting to receive a presentation from representatives of the Belfast International Airport in connection with the Airport's investment programme, new facilities and additional routes.
Expression of Sympathy
The Deputy Chairman (Councillor P. Maskey), on behalf of the Committee, expressed sympathy and condolences to the Chairman (Councillor McCausland) on the recent death of his Father-in-law.
Arts Sub-Committee
The minutes of the Arts Sub-Committee of 29th November were approved and adopted.
Economic Development Sub-Committee
The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Economic Development Sub-Committee of 29th November.
Tourism and Promotion of Belfast Sub-Committee
Resolved - That the minutes of the meetings of the Tourism and Promotion of Belfast Sub-Committee of 23rd and 27th November be approved and adopted.
Support for SS Nomadic
The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 15th February, it had agreed to rescind its decision of 18th January allocating £100,000 towards the project to return the SS Nomadic to the City and to refurbish it to an acceptable standard. The Committee had decided instead to enter into discussions with the Department for Social Development with a view to the formation of a Charitable Trust to oversee the project and that, subject to a satisfactory outcome to those discussions, a substantial financial contribution be made to the Trust.
The Director advised the Members that the Minister with Responsibility for Social Development had announced in May the creation of the Trust which would oversee the development and the restoration of the vessel. The Trust would be made up of representatives from the public, private and voluntary sectors. In July the Department for Social Development had, at a cost of £263,000, purchased the vessel, which had been returned to the City. However, the Department had stated that it reserved the right to return the vessel to auction should insufficient progress be made within eighteen months of the establishment of the Trust which, apart from restoring, improving and enhancing the vessel, would seek also to provide a museum and or exhibition centre to promote the historic and industrial development of the Nomadic and shipbuilding in Belfast in general.
The Director advised the Committee that the Department was seeking from the Council a contribution in the sum of £250,000 towards the upkeep, restoration and improvement of the SS Nomadic. The overall estimated cost of the project was £7 million. She pointed out that, apart from £30,000 which had been promised by the Harbour Commissioners, she was unaware of any other public or private bodies which had agreed at this time to contribute towards the project.
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The Committee expressed its support in principal for the initiative but suggested that it would be appropriate for a more detailed business plan for the overall project to be made available prior to the Council arriving at a final decision. The Director advised the Committee that there was no allocation currently within the Development Department's budget for any financial contribution and she suggested that the matter be referred to the Policy and Resources Committee for consideration.
After discussion, it was agreed that the matter be referred to the Policy and Resources Committee and that the Department for Social Development be requested to provide a copy of the business plan for the SS Nomadic project.
Change of Membership on the Nomadic Charitable Trust Board
The Director informed the Committee that notification had been received from the Sinn Fein Party Grouping indicating that it wished Councillor Hartley to replace Councillor P. Maskey on the membership of the Nomadic Trust Board.
The Committee approved the amendment to the membership of the Board.
European Unit Update
The Director submitted a report in respect of the work of the Department's European Unit, highlighting the activities which the Unit had organised or facilitated during September and October. She referred to the "Regenera Inward Visit", a three-day thematic visit focusing on urban development, which had attracted to the City forty delegates from twenty-five European cities. In addition, the Unit had organised the first ever "Europe Means Business" seminar in the City Hall in September which had been attended by representatives from eighty businesses throughout Northern Ireland. The purpose of the event had been to clarify European policies affecting enterprise, the dissemination of information relating to the new European Funding Programme and how Europe could assist small and medium sized enterprises. The Director then drew the Members' attention to the Connect Final Conference, at which local delegates had been given the opportunity to discuss development issues with delegates from four partner cities in Europe. She pointed out the level of publicity which these events had generated for the Council, in particular in highlighting its development work and contacts with the European Union.
Noted.
Celebrate Belfast Update
The Head of Economic Initiatives submitted a report in respect of the Celebrate Belfast Programme, an initiative which had been designed to showcase and promote the City to local and international audiences by promoting its cultural activities. She reported that since October, 2005 a number of key initiatives had been assisted as part of the Programme. She reported further that, in addition to the funding which had been made available by the Council, financial support had been provided also from the Millennium Commission, under the Urban Cultural Programme, and from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, through its Art of Regeneration scheme.
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She drew the Committee's attention to the Community Festival Fund, whereby applications which had been received by the Council were assessed against a set of pre-agreed criteria, prior to them being forwarded to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the organisation which would provide the funding. A list of applications, together with the assessments made thereon including three options for the distribution of funds had been circulated to the Members.
After discussion, the Committee agreed that the applications in respect of the Community Festival Fund, together with the corresponding assessments and funding options be forwarded to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. The Committee agreed further that a special meeting, to receive a presentation in respect of the results of the Celebrate Belfast Programme, be held in due course.
Newtownards Road 2012
The Committee agreed that the Director of Development be authorised to participate on the Newtownards Road 2012 Project Management Board which would be overseeing a key regeneration project for the east of the City.
Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan
(Mr. J. Walsh, Principal Solicitor, attended in connection with this item.)
The Committee considered the undernoted report in respect of the Department of the Environment's decision to hold a public inquiry for the purposes of considering objections to the Draft Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan.
The Principal Solicitor drew the Members' attention to the concerns which had been highlighted within the report and which had been identified also by another Local Authority in relation to the procedures under which the inquiry would be held. Indeed, the other authority was actively considering seeking a Judicial Review in relation to the matter. The Principal Solicitor indicated that he had written to the Planning Appeals Commission outlining the Council's concerns in respect of the Inquiry's procedures. He advised the Members further that legal opinion had been sought in the matter and he requested the Committee's approval, should it be deemed necessary, to instigate, before the holding of the next scheduled meeting of the Committee, proceedings in relation to the seeking of a Judicial Review. After prolonged discussion in relation to the level of representation required by the Council at the inquiry, the Committee adopted the recommendations contained within the report and granted the authority sought by the Principal Solicitor in connection with the possible instigation of a Judicial Review.
Titanic Quarter
Arising from discussions in the above matter, the Director advised the Committee that correspondence had been received earlier that day from the Department of the Environment, Planning Service, which had contained a copy of the Department's Masterplan for the Titanic Quarter and seeking a Council response thereon, by 15th December. She pointed out that the deadline for the response would preclude the matter being considered by the Committee and, accordingly, she suggested that the officers within the Development Department provide a response which would reflect the Council's current position in regard to the masterplanning process at the Titanic Quarter.
The Committee expressed its concern at the method by which the Planning Service had sought to consult with the Council in regard to the masterplanning process and, in particular, the inappropriate timescale allowed for consideration of such an important issue to the City. The Director was requested to provide clarification in regard to the response which the officers would be making to the Planning Service.
The Director indicated that the response would outline the Council's current position on issues relating to housing mix and tenure, transport, accessibility, the provision of an appropriate mix of retail and commercial facilities, open space and general design. The response would state clearly that the Council was not content with the actions of the Planning Service in regard to the period of time allowed for consultation.
After discussion, the Committee authorised the Director to respond to the Planning Service as outlined above and instructed that the Council's dissatisfaction with the timescale allowed for consultation be intimated in the strongest possible terms.
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Award of the Tender for Provision of Courier Services
The Director informed the Committee that individual Council departments sourced courier services on an ad hoc basis, as a result of which those services were provided by various companies. Accordingly, as part of the Council's drive for efficiency, it was considered appropriate that a corporate tender for the provision of courier services be prepared.
As a result of public advertisement, two tenders had been received and evaluated against a set of pre-agreed criteria. She recommended the acceptance of the most economically advantageous tender, that submitted by Data Dispatch, Unit 33 Westlink Enterprise Park, Distillery Street, Belfast. The tender had been based on a schedule of rates and the contract period to be 1 year with an option to renew annually for a further 3 years.
The Committee adopted the recommendation.
Smithfield Market
The Head of Economic Initiatives informed the Committee that the Smithfield Market building had not be redecorated for approximately 12 years and as a result the appearance of the building had deteriorated considerably. She drew the Committee's attention to the recent ministerial decision to progress with the regeneration of the North East Quarter of the City, in advance of the North West Quarter, which would result in the future of market building not being considered until 2011 at the earliest.
She reminded the Committee that, as part of its City Centre regeneration strategy, the Council had placed great emphasis on independent retailing and Smithfield Market would, over the next 5 years, have a significant role to play in this regard within the North West Quarter of the City.
The Committee was informed that officers from the Department had consulted with market tenants in relation to improvements at the market and the tenants had agreed that the internal and external fabric of the building required redecoration, together with improvements to the internal and the external lighting. The estimated cost of such work would be approximately £60,000, provision for which had been made within the Department's budgets. The Head of Economic Initiatives sought the Committee's authority to commence a tendering exercise for this work
After discussion, the Committee granted the authority sought.
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Conway Mill
The Committee considered the undernoted report in respect of the provision of funding to Conway Mill.
In response to several questions, the Director advised the Committee that should the Council agree to withdraw its funding from the project, money would be made available from other sources and that the Conway Mill project would receive the same level of support as had been proposed originally. In addition, the Committee was advised that, as the £200,000 had been provided from European Union funding, it had to be used on other local economic development activities within the Council area prior to 30th June, 2007. Accordingly, the Director suggested that the Committee might wish to consider the reallocation of these monies to the North Foreshore projects or to another local economic development project, should one be identified as suitable within the available time.
The Committee agreed that the funding of £200,000 be reallocated to the North Foreshore project, or to another local economic development programme should one be identified as suitable prior to the 30th June, 2007.
Chairman
