Agenda and minutes

            An apology was reported on behalf of Councillor F. McAteer.

            The minutes of the meeting of the 9th and 23rd August 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 September. subject to the following amendment: That a report be submitted to a future Committee in relation to two previous successful regeneration schemes which had been undertaken, namely, Renewing the Routes Scheme and the Dereliction Scheme (Department of the Economy).

No Declarations of Interest were reported.

            The information contained in the report associated with the following five items was restricted in accordance with Part 1 of Schedule 6 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014.

      Resolved – That the Committee agrees to exclude the members of the press and public from the meeting during discussion of the following five items as, due to the nature of the items, there would be a disclosure of exempt information as described in Section 42(4) and Section 6 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014.

            The Director of City Regeneration and Development provided an update on the Council’s Grey to Green and Active Travel Enablers projects funded by DfI as previously approved by the Committee in October 2022 and subsequent update at the August 2023.

            During discussion, in response to requests for specific covered cycle stand locations to be prioritised, the Senior Development Manager advised that it was intended to work through all the locations, subject to funding and landowner agreements. One Member suggested that, if delivery at a location was unsuccessful, then every attempt should be made to locate a cycle stand as close as possible to the original location.

The Senior Development Manager also undertook to share the draft BMAP boundary of the City Centre as requested by a Member.

            After discussion, the Committee:

I.          Approved the recommended Funding Agreement for the Grey to Green Demonstrator Project as outlined within the report;

II.         Subject to agreement with DfI, approved the redistribution of underspend within the previously approved projects under the Grey to Green and Active Travel Enablers business cases to ensure spend by the end of March 2024; and

III.        Approved the additional covered cycle parking locations as outlined in the report.

            The Committee was provided with an update in relation to the work which had been undertaken in relation to various housing-led regeneration activities.

The Committee:

i.        Noted the update in respect of the Inner North West Development Brief, comprising of Council and Department for Communities lands at Little Donegal St, Library St and Kent St and the proposed reframing of the Brief. The Committee endorsed the revised approach as set out in the report, and noted a further report would be taken to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee in September to seek approval to re-issue a reframed Development Brief to the Housing Associations;

ii.      Noted the update on the Regeneration Development Opportunity: Multi- Site Residential Led Regeneration Expression of Interest process for various Council (and other public sector) city centre sites, and, subject to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee endorsement, progressing a Competitive Dialogue procurement exercise. The Committee also noted that a further report would be brought to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on 18th September seeking approval to progress with the Competitive Dialogue procurement; and

iii.     Noted the update in respect of Strategic Site Assessments for city wide sites and that further updates would be brought back on specific proposals as they were progressed.

            The Committee noted the report and the associated financial reporting pack and that the request for simplified reporting information would be issued to the Finance Team.

            The Committee noted the Zoo performance update report for the period April to June 2023 and that visitor benchmarking statistics would be included in future quarterly reports of the Zoo’s performance.

            The Committee reviewed the report on the performance of the Belfast Bikes scheme in the first quarter (1st April, 2023- 30th June, 2023) for year eight of its operation.

Proposal

Moved by Councillor Flynn,

Seconded by Councillor Lyons,

      In relation to the update on the motion from March 2020 to consider granting free access to young people to the Belfast Bikes Scheme, the Committee agrees that it would consider this as part of the rate setting process for 2024/25 and to write to the Department for Infrastructure and the Department of Health to request investment in this proposal, to be delivered on an annual basis.

            On a vote, seventeen Members voted for the proposal and one against and it was declared carried.  

            Accordingly, the Committee:

·        Noted the update of the Belfast Bikes performance for Y8 Q1 (April-June 2023); financial year;

·        Noted the update to the motion regarding free access for young people and agreed that the Committee would consider this as part of the rate setting process for 2024/25 and to write to the Department for Infrastructure and the Department of Health to request investment in this proposal, to be delivered on an annual basis;

·        Noted the progress regarding phase one and phase two expansion;

·        Noted the update that the tender would be prepared for a procurement of a new Public Bike Hire Scheme; and

·        Noted that the statistics on instances of vandalism would be reported by area, where possible, in future Performance Update Reports.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to update Members on the draft report of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review (AISRR) currently out for consultation and to agree the draft response to be submitted from Belfast City Council. 

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

                                          I.     Note the content of this report in relation to the All-Island Strategic Rail Review that is currently out for consultation.

                                        II.     Approve the Council’s draft consultation response to the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) and the Department of Transport’s on the AISRR and associated environmental documents as enclosed with this report in Appendix 2, noting that in line with the consultation closing date of 29 September, that this will be submitted as draft and will be subject to ratification by Council on 2 October and any further comments or amends at Council will be forwarded to the Department. 

3.0       Main report

            Background

3.1       The All-Island Strategic Rail Review (AISRR) (Appendix 1) was launched jointly in 2021 by the Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland and the Minister for Transport in Ireland. DfI, in conjunction with the DfT, are now seeking opinions on the Review’s draft report, and on the reports accompanying the associated Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process.

3.2       The AISRR is the first All-Island Strategic Review of this nature. It will inform investment in the rail sector in both jurisdictions to 2050, with the aim of supporting de-carbonisation of the transport sector in line with both governments’ net-zero commitments.

3.3       This paper provides background on the report, its recommendations, and the outcomes for the island if the recommendations were all to be carried out. It also provides an overview of Council’s draft consultation response (Appendix 2).

3.4       Context

            The Review was launched in April 2021 by Eamon Ryan, Minister for Transport Ireland, and Nichola Mallon, then Minister at the Department for Infrastructure, Northern Ireland. It has now been published alongside the associated Strategic Environmental Assessment for consultation and is expected to be finalised by the end of this year.

3.5       As part of the preparation of the AISRR, and in accordance with statutory requirements, it was necessary for the Departments to carry out a screening exercise to establish whether a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process was applicable to the AISRR. The Screening Report determined that an environmental assessment was required to identify, describe and evaluate the likely significant effects on the environment of implementing the AISRR, and reasonable alternatives, taking account of the objectives and the geographical scope of the AISRR. Consultation on the AISRR and associated environmental documents opened on Tuesday 25 July and will run until Friday 29 September 2023.

3.6       The Review sets out thirty recommendations for developing a rail network that could significantly benefit commuters, communities, businesses, the environment and economies, both north and south.  If the recommendations are implemented in full it could transform the rail system in the coming decades with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of Main issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to update Members on the response received from the Department for Communities in relation to correspondence issued from the CG&R Committee regarding Rent Controls.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Members of the Committee are asked to note;

·        the correspondence received from the Department for Communities in response to a letter from the Committee regarding rent controls;

·        that the Department for Committees commissioned a report, undertaken by the Chartered Institute for Housing, to research and consult on the implications of a rent freeze or rent decrease and that this report was laid to the Assembly and published on the Departments website;

·        that the Department for Communities state that ‘any further action on these issues is subject to a decision by an incoming Minister’, and ‘that bringing any rent controls into effect would require further secondary legislation and therefore a functioning Assembly’

3.0       Background

3.1       At the special meeting of the CG&&R Committee in February 2023, it was agreed  that a letter was sent to the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Communities, and the Head of the Civil Service to engage with the Council and other key stakeholders concerning rent controls in Belfast; and to support local community organisations and advocacy groups in their efforts to campaign for the introduction of rent controls and to ensure that the voices of renters and those affected by the housing affordability crisis were heard.

4.0       Main Report

            Key Issues

4.1       A letter was sent to the Permanent Secretary of the Department Communities and the Head of the Civil Service on 24th March 2023 outlining the concerns raised by the members of the Committee at its special meeting in February 2023 (attached as appendix 1).

4.2       The letter outlined that the cost of privately renting a home in Belfast has risen significantly in recent years, making it increasingly unaffordable for many people, particularly those on low incomes and young families. The letter further commented that the Committee would like to see costs for renters reduced; Members recognise that legislation is required to protect renters from unfair rents, improve housing standards and end unfair letting fees; Members further recognise the introduction of rent controls is one way to help renters. Furthermore, the Executive needs to be back up and running and a Minister in place to progress this.

4.3       A response has been received from Mr. David Polley, Director of Housing Supply Policy (attached as appendix 2).  In his correspondence the Director advises that Section 7 of the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 placed a duty on the Department to research and consult on the implications of a rent freeze or rent decrease and to lay a report before the Assembly.

4.4       The Director further commented that the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) was subsequently commissioned by the Department to research and consult on these implications and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

            The Committee was reminded that the Northern Ireland Music Prize honoured and celebrated the very best of new, established and emerging Northern Irish music and was a key music event for the city of Belfast and its UNESCO City of Music status. It was an annual awards night organised by the Oh Yeah Music Centre and took place in the Ulster Hall during the Sound of Belfast Festival every year.

            The prize was a high-profile celebration of music from Northern Ireland. Five main awards were available, namely:

·        PPL Album of The Year;

·        Single of The Year;

·        BBC ATL Artist of The Year (BBC Introducing award);

·        Live Act of The Year; and

·        YouTube Video of The Year.

            There was also two special awards, namely:

·        Outstanding Contribution to Music presented by PRS; and

·        Oh Yeah Legend Award.

            The Director of Economic Development advised that over 100 music industry professionals were invited to take part in the nomination process of the awards. The general public were invited to vote for the winner of Single, Live and BBC Introducing Award, whilst an invited industry panel selected the winning video and the winning album. He stated that all genres were eligible and a diverse mix of acts were invited to perform each year to showcase the wealth and variety of music Belfast has to offer, including Trad, Folk, Indie, Rock, Electronica, Punk, Singer Songwriters, Pop, Hip Hop, Soul and R&B. He highlighted that supporters of the Prize included the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, PPL, PRS Foundation, Help Musicians, BBC Introducing, Arts and Business, Music Venues Trust, IMRO, Shine, Music Video Marketplace and Destination CQ.

            He informed the Committee that the 2023 Music Prize would host an audience of 1,000 people, including music industry guests from all over the UK and Ireland, Europe and the USA, as well as musicians, artists and music fans. He pointed out that the event would be broadcast live on BBC Radio Ulster and filmed by a production company for YouTube. He advised that many key industry professionals that attended were also involved in presenting and running panels at the Sound of Belfast conference earlier that day, including 200 young emerging artists who attend these panels which are streamed live on YouTube.

            The Director of Economic Development reported that this was an important event for music in Belfast and to complement and strengthen the initiatives and ambitions laid out in the UNESCO City of Music. It would be an investment in our world class and strong emerging diverse talent and was also an opportunity to showcase our local talent through extensive online reach and would demonstrate that the Council was committed to supporting and investing in music.

            The Director of Economic Development advised that the Sound of Belfast was a festival that showcased the Belfast music scene and sector with gigs, panels, talks, workshops, discussions, exhibitions, showcases and special events at various venues across Belfast. He described the event as a unique offering in the cultural landscape, with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11a

            It was reported that the 2022-23 Committee Plan End of Year Report (EOYR) and draft Committee Plan for 2023-24 were originally presented and had been agreed by the Committee in April. However, due to a procedural error, they were referred back to Committee for further consideration and approval. The procedural error related to the roles and responsibilities of the Committee included within the introduction of the draft plan (attached at appendix 1). The functions had been updated to ensure they were consistent with the Standing Orders of the Council’s Constitution.

            The Director of City Regeneration and Development explained that the 2022-23 Committee Plan End of Year Report (EOYR) and draft Committee Plan for 2023-24 had been developed in the context of the Council’s Corporate Plan 2023-24 and the draft refreshed Belfast Agenda. Consequently, the new Committee Plan contained the commitments within the Corporate Delivery Plan, as agreed by the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee in August, and were incorporated under the duties of this Committee, together with the deliverables that had been agreed by the Committee throughout the 22/23 period and were relevant to the Standing Orders. The Plan sets out the main priorities and programmes of work that the Committee was overseeing to maximise the Council’s contribution to the Belfast Agenda.

            She pointed out that, following agreement of the draft Committee Plan, officers would submit a six-monthly progress report against all commitments in the Committee Plan in November 2023 and a further end of year report in April 2024.

            In relation to the New Corporate Plan 2024-28, the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, at its meeting in August, had approved the proposed approach and timeline for the development of the 2024 –28 Corporate Plan and accompanying Committee and Departmental Plans for 2024-25. The proposed timeline identified that committee planning workshops should be held in October 2023, with a view to producing a draft plan by February 2024.

            The Committee:

·        Noted the contents of the end of year report;

·        Approved the City Growth and Regeneration Committee Plan for 2023-24; and

·        Agreed to hold a committee workshop as part of the development of a new Corporate Plan 2024-28 during October 2023.