Agenda and minutes

Apologies were recorded from Councillors Bower, Bradley and Canavan.

            The minutes of the meeting of 6th August were taken as read and signed as correct. 

            It was reported that the minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 2nd September.

            Councillor McKeown declared an interest in agenda item 3 (a) Consultation on Policy Proposals underpinning a Public Health Bill for Northern Ireland as he was employee of the Health Service but as there was no discussion on the matter, he did not have to leave the meeting.

            Councillor M. Donnelly declared an interest in agenda item 4 (b) Social Supermarkets 2025/26 as he was associated with a group that had previously been awarded funding and he left the meeting whilst the item was being considered.

The Director OSSS and Resources and Fleet reported that a request had been received from Aiken Promotions seeking to use the Boucher Road Playing Fields for a minimum of 1 show and a maximum of 6 shows during a 4-week period in either May, June or July, 2026 through to 2030 inclusive.  The Promoter had also requested the use of Botanic Gardens for a minimum of 1 show and a maximum of 9 shows during a 4-week period in either May, June or July, 2026 through to 2030 inclusive.

            The Committee noted that, whilst it was recognised that a 5-year commitment with the promotor assisted them in securing headline acts, this represented a sizeable commitment from the Council. Therefore, it was important that that any permission given to the promoter permitted the Council to review it and amend it should other priorities arise for any of the proposed sites, for example, improvements to the site under the Council’s Capital programme and/or pitch improvement programme.

            The Members discussed the request in detail and several of the Members referred to the Pitches Strategy, which was currently pending and stated that they wished, where possible, to see the Boucher Road Playing Fields used for sport, especially in light of the stress that organisations were under on a weekly basis trying to secure a pitch allocation for their relevant sport and he reiterated the need to ensure that flexibility was built into any agreement.

            The Director OSSS and Resources and Fleet provided a reassurance that, as with other similar requests, multiple year approval would be subject to annual review and added that the promoter would have to confirm specific dates annually and no later than six months in advance of the proposed event date.

            A Member also referred to the engagement process with local residents around the events at Boucher Road and sought clarification as to what was required from the promoters to ensure consistency across the promoters and other Council venues.

            Following detailed consideration the Committee:

·             granted authority to the applicant to hold up 9 concerts at Botanic Gardens during a 4-week period in either May, June or July 2026 – 2030 inclusive; and

·             agreed that the request for the Boucher Road Playing fields would be considered on a yearly basis, pending the outcome of the pitches strategy.

            The Committee further agreed that events seeking multiple year approval would be subject to annual review, with the Strategic Director of City and Neighbourhood Services having the authority, under the scheme of delegation, to remove the permission for subsequent years based on officer recommendation or to reflect corporate priorities for the site, for example, the outcome of the pending Pitches Strategy.  

            Granted delegated authority to the Director of Neighbourhood Services to negotiate satisfactory terms and conditions of use via an appropriate legal agreement prepared by the City Solicitor, including managing final booking confirmation dates and flexibility around ‘set up’ and take down’ periods, and booking amendments, subject to:

-        The promoter resolving any operational  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3a

The Director of City Services summarised the contents of the report which presented a Quarter 1 financial position for the People and Communities Committee, including a forecast of the year end outturn. She explained that the Quarter 1 position for the Committee showed an underspend of £1.4m (-5.4%), with the forecast year end position being an overspend of £73k (0.1%) which was well within the acceptable variance limit.

            The Committee was advised that the main reasons for the quarter 1 Committee under-spend related to vacant posts and posts under review across a number of services, contract cost reductions, the receipt of additional income and the timing of grants and programmes.

            The Committee noted the report and the associated financial reporting pack.

The Committee considered a request that had been received from Jordan Events Ltd. seeking to host a Christmas Spectacular Winter Ice experience in Botanic Gardens from 15th November 2024 to 2nd January 2025 and noted that the proposed event would include the following fixtures:

·        Christmas Market Stalls;

·        Ice Museum;

·        Ice Rink and slide;

·        Big Wheel;

·        Public bar and food offering; and

·        Décor features.

            Following a query from a Member, the Director OSSS and Resources and Fleet confirmed that there would be no entry fee for this event, however, some of the fixtures detailed above would be charged for individually.  He also confirmed that the park would not close for the event, stating that it would have longer opening hours than it normally would have at that time of year, which would help to animate the space.  He added that the organisers had indicated that approximately 10 days either side of the event operating dates would be required for event build and derig, however, there would be no requirement to close the park.

            Following a query regarding the illumination of other parks, the Director advised the Members that this issue was being addressed as part of the Capital Programme discussions.

            At the request of a Member, the Director undertook to liaise with the event promoter to discuss the possibility of future events taking place in other Council parks. 

            A Member asked the Director to ensure that due diligence of the applicants was undertaken to ensure the Council was achieving value for money.  The Director assured the Members that through due diligence checks would be undertaken and if any issue was highlighted or the Companies were not deemed to meet the required criteria a subsequent report would be submitted to the Committee.

            Following a further query, the Director undertook to ascertain which charity the promoter intended to donate to and to liaise with him directly and also noted that any decision regarding the distribution of the Social Fee for Botanic would be considered by the South Area Working Group in due course. 

            During discussion the Director also advised that the promoters had indicated that they would be keen to engage with residents at an early stage regarding the event to help mitigate for any issues that might arise.

            The Committee granted authority to the applicant for the proposed event on the dates noted, subject to due diligence of the applicant, the completion of the appropriate event management plans and satisfactory terms being agreed by the Director of City and Neighbourhood Services and on condition that the Event Organisers:

·        resolve all operational issues to the Council’s satisfaction;

·        meet all the statutory requirements including Public Liability Insurance cover, Health and Safety, and licensing responsibilities;

·        negotiate an appropriate fee for the use of the gardens; and

·        consult with the adjoining public bodies and local communities as necessary.

            The Committee noted that the above recommendations were taken as a pre-policy position, in advance of the Council agreeing a more structured framework and policy for ‘Events’, which  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3c

            The Committee considered a report on a consultation being undertaken by the Department for Communities with Belfast City Council on proposed new cremation regulations.

            The Director of City Services provided the Members with an overview of the previous regulations.  She reported that the Cremation (Belfast) 1961 Regulations had been copied from the English Cremation Act 1902 to allow the Belfast Corporation to introduce cremation to Northern Ireland.  Therefore, the 1961 Regulations only applied to Belfast and due to the passing of time required an update to reflect current practices and the addition of other crematoria.

            She added that, in July 2024, the Department for Communities had issued the Council with a consultation document, with a short turnaround, as they were urgently required to legislate for other councils. Upon request, the Council had been granted an extension to the consultation deadline from the department until the 14th October 2024.

            The Members were advised that the Department for Communities was clear that, due to the urgency to legislate for other councils, it had copied across the Cremation (England and Wales) Regulations 2008.  This ‘copy across’ was therefore accompanied by some risks and potential unintended consequences for councils and their partner agencies, some of which she drew the Members’ attention to.

            The Director advised that, overall, Belfast City Council supported the need to replace the Cremation (Belfast) 1961 Regulations with regulations which any local council could adopt. The Council also supported the opportunity to resolve some of the administrative burden on bereaved families and to streamline and simplify the administrative processes.  Belfast City Council had a self-interest to fully understand what the opportunities, risks and potential consequences of copying across the England and Wales Regulations 2008 might be and to reflect this in the consultation response.  She added that officers would also be concerned that the relevant partners had not been consulted on these regulations ,for example, DHSSC, NI Trusts, DOJ, Medical referees, Funeral Directors and that there was no lead in time proposed.

            The Members were asked to note and approve the draft response, subject to officers continuing to engage internally with Legal Services on any final comments in relation to the regulations prior to approval at the October meeting of the Council.

            The Committee approved the draft consultation response on the Local Government Cremation Regulations NI 2024 at Appendix C of the agenda, subject to any final changes by Legal Services, which, if made, would be e-mailed to the Members of the Committee in advance of the October Council meeting.

            The Committee noted that the response outlined concerns that the Council would seek to be addressed by the Department for Communities prior to commencement of the legislation.

The Director of City Services advised the Committee that a public consultation had been launched by Department of Health setting out the proposals which would underpin a new health protection legislative framework for Northern Ireland, and which was based on the recommendations of the Review of the 1967 Act and learning from recent public health emergencies.

            She reported that this was the second public consultation on Public Health which sought views on specific policy proposals that would underpin the provisions to be included in the Bill. The first public consultation had been in September 2015 and had asked basic questions about current Public Health law. The outcome of that consultation had enabled a final report to be published by Department of Health in March 2016, which had set out key recommendations for legislative reform and the shaping of future public health protection law in Northern Ireland, leading to the current consultation.

            The Director drew the Members’ attention to a detailed response to the questions posed in the consultation questionnaire.  She reported that the responses had been developed with input from Health and Environmental Services, Good Relations, and the Equality Team as well as Legal Services.

            The Committee endorsed the consultation response on Policy Proposals underpinning a Public Health Bill for Northern Ireland available here and agreed its submission to the Department of Health by the 14th October deadline.

            (Mr. A. Curran, Environmental Protection Manager, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The People and Communities Committee will be aware that Belfast City Council is required to manage ambient air quality across the city in accordance with the provisions of Part III of the Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 and current accompanying Local Air Quality Management Technical Guidance (LAQM.(TG22)). LAQM.TG(22) establishes a cycle of annual ambient air quality reporting for Northern Ireland councils, to include that an Updating and Screening Assessment (USA) report be submitted to the Department of Environment, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DAERA) technical assessors by 30th June 2024. An Updating and Screening Assessment is intended to identify any significant changes that may have occurred since the previous round of ambient air quality review and assessment was completed. An extension to the above-mentioned submission date has been obtained from DAERA to allow for the 2024 USA report to be considered by the People and Communities Committee in advance of submission. The USA report has been developed using the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Northern Ireland Updating and Screening Assessment 2024 Template. A copy of the  Belfast City Council 2024 Updating and Screening Assessment (USA) Report is provided as Appendix 1 to this Committee report.

1.2       The Committee will be additionally aware that the council has declared four Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) across the city for exceedances of the nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) objectives, associated principally with road transport emissions. These AQMAs therefore encompass arterial road transport routes within the city including, the M1 Motorway / A12 Westlink corridor, Ormeau Road, Upper Newtownards Road and area around Cromac Street, East Bridge Street, Ravenhill Road and the Albertbridge Road. All of these AQMAs have been declared for exceedances of the nitrogen dioxide 40 mgm^-3 annual mean objective, with the M1 Motorway / A12 Westlink corridor AQMA additionally having been declared for exceedances of the nitrogen dioxide 200 mgm^-3 1-hour mean objective.

1.3       Key conclusions from the 2024 USA report include that there were no exceedances during the 2023 monitoring year of any air quality objectives at locations of relevant public exposure across the city. A further conclusion of the 2024 USA report is that based upon current and historical monitoring data for road transport related nitrogen dioxide, the Ormeau Road and Upper Newtownards Road Air Quality Management Areas should now be revoked.

2.0       Recommendation

2.1      

·        The People and Communities Committee are requested to note the contents and conclusions of the Belfast City Council 2024 Updating and Screening Assessment report and to agreed that the report be submitted to DAERA’s technical assessors for appraisal. 

·        The Committee is further requested to agree that pending acceptance of the 2024 USA report and the conclusions detailed and also taking account of the recommendation received from DAERA for the BCC 2023 Air Quality Progress Report, Belfast City Council will move to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4b

            (Mr. J. McConnell, City Services Manager, Resources and Fleet, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to update members on the latest waste statistics published by NIEA, to give members an update on the Council’s Waste Framework and to update members on some initial results from the restricted access pilots, firstly with the DFI/PSNI pilot and also with the introduction of smaller vehicles in difficult to access streets.  It also provides members with an update on Phase 1 of the expansion of the Kerbside Glass Collection arrangements to 22,000 additional households.

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       Committee members are requested to note the contents of this report.

3.0       Main Report

            Key Issues

            Waste Performance and Recycling Rates 

3.1       The most recent waste statistics published by the NIEA are the January to March 2024 quarterly statistics.  The report is a snapshot of the final quarter of the 23/24 financial year versus the same period the previous year. As a result, it is less informative than the annual report (due November 2024) but does contain one table (table 18) which provides an overview of performance in relation to the waste Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) over the course of a rolling twelve months.

3.2       The overall picture for NI as a region is one of an increasing quantity of waste collected (999,913 tonnes collected, up 3%), a slight increase in the municipal reuse and recycling rate (up 0.9% points to 51.1%) combined with a significant decrease in the landfill disposal rate (down 4% points to 18%).

3.3       An examination of the figures for Belfast City Council, indicates the following;

·        Municipal Waste Arisings - the total tonnage of all types of waste collected by the Council was 160,282 tonnes. This is an increase of approximately 2,500 tonnes (1.5%) on the previous year.

·        Municipal Waste Recycling Rate – the percentage of all types of waste collected by the Council which was re-used, recycled or composted, increased by 1.3% to 38.3%.

·        Household Waste Recycling Rate– the percentage of household waste only collected by the Council which was re-used, recycled or composted, increased slightly by 0.3% to 41.1%.

·        Landfill Diversion Rate – the percentage of all Council waste sent to landfill was 7%, down from 29% in the previous year.

3.4       Based on these provisional figures, in 2023/24 the combined tonnages of recyclables collected from the various kerbside schemes (blue bin, brown bin and kerbside box) and recycling centres remained largely unchanged. The main contributors to the uplift in these figures were the increased tonnage of street sweeps processed in 2023/24 and the onboarding of the new arc21, interim residual waste treatment contract.

3.5       This residual waste treatment contract involves the haulage and treatment of the non-recyclable waste collected at the Council’s Waste Transfer Station from across the city. On arrival at the contractor’s Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) the material undergoes a pre-treatment exercise where a proportion of the waste  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5a

            (Ms. N. Lane, Neighbourhood Services Manager, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to seek members approval to operate an open call for grant applications to the Social Supermarket Fund in 25/26 as outlined in the report.

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       Members are asked to consider the contents of the report and to grant approval to operate an open call for grant applications to the Social Supermarket Fund in 25/26 as outlined in the report.

3.0       Main Report

            Background

3.1       In response to recommendations in the Welfare Reform Mitigations report, the Department for Communities (DfC) has operated a Social Supermarket Pilot programme since October 2017. Funding was made available through the Community Support Programme (CSP) in 20/21 to expand the concept to all council areas.

            The aim of a social supermarket is to offer a sustainable response to food insecurity by seeking to help address the root causes of poverty rather than simply provide food. This is achieved by providing, in addition to food support, a referral network for wraparound support.  Food supply should ideally come from donations, surplus, or purchased at a discount, however, funding can also be used towards the purchase of food vouchers.

3.2       In the years 21-24, Council worked with identified partners to develop models for delivery. Committee granted approval on 9 November 2023 to operate an open call for grant applications to the Social Supermarket Fund in 2024/25.

3.3       Members were advised at this point that because activity is 100% funded by DfC, there was a risk that funding to support successful applications might not be in place from April 24. However, on balance, it was agreed that it was preferable to undertake the application process so that funding could be issued as soon as it became available from the department.

3.4       Members agreed that funding of up to £50,000 would be available for each individual project; this in line with other large grant funding programmes. The Social Supermarket Support Fund was opened on 5 December 2023 and received 28 applications totalling £946,619.70 by the closing date of 12 noon on Friday 26 January 2024.

3.5       In the absence of a Letter of Offer from DfC to fund this area of work, in April 24 SPandR agreed to provide £122,627 to fund 21 Social Supermarket Projects.  This allocation was made from the 24/25 Hardship Programme.

3.6       Council received the CSP 2024/25 Letter of Offer from DfC on 3 July 2024.  It contained an allocation of £672,650, an increase of £253,906 on the 23/24 allocation. SPandR agreed to make an additional contribution to provide a total budget of £785,744 to support 21 projects.

            Key Issues

3.7       It is recommended that the 25/26 Social Supermarket fund would operate on the same parameters as in 24/25 for delivery between 1st April 2025 – 31st March 2026. These are;

·        Applications would be open to any constituted group delivering eligible projects.

·        Eligible  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5b

            (Ms. N. Lane, Neighbourhood Services Manager, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee was asked to consider a request from Northern Ireland Local Government Partnership on Traveller Issues (NILGPTI) seeking the Council to nominate 1 - 3 Elected Members, along with an officer, to the Partnership.  They noted that the Partnership met every two months, with each Council hosting the meeting on a rotational basis.

            Following a query, the Neighbourhood Services Manager advised that the Traveller Engagement Officer post had been transferred to the Good Relations Unit, as it would be focussing on engagement with ethnic minorities including Irish Travellers.

            Several of the Members alluded to the fact that Elected Member nominations had already been made to the NILGPTI, however, they had not received any correspondence regarding meetings of the partnership. 

            The Committee agreed to defer the report to enable officers to liaise with Democratic Services to confirm if any Elected Members had previously been nominated to the NILGPTI. 

            The Director of Neighbourhood Services drew the Members’ attention to a request that had been received from Advice Space, formally Citizens Advice.  He advised that the organisation planned to host a 60th anniversary conference to celebrate its 60-year Anniversary in offering generalist advice services to the people of Belfast.  He reported that the main theme of the conference would be looking at the development of the welfare state since its inception and examining if it was fit for purpose today and for the future.  It was expected that over 80 delegates would participate in the event. 

            The Committee agreed to award £2000.00 to Advice Space to sponsor its 60th anniversary and conference event on Thursday 28th November in the Riddel Hall Stranmillis.

The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1         Under the Article 3 of the Access to the Countryside Order (NI)         1983 all Local Councils have a duty to

            ...assert, protect and keep open and free from obstruction or encroachment any Public Right of Way.

1.2       Investigation into the Old Coach Road began in 1998. In 2023 complaints were made to the Council regarding the condition of the path. As the path was not an asserted Public Right of Way (PRoW) the Council had no power to take any further action. To ascertain if a PRoW exists the Council opened a neighbourhood enquiry to gather evidence. 118 responses were received, 113 indicated that they believed a PRoW did exist, 1 stated that a PRoW did not exist but did not provide a reason for this.

2.0                   Recommendation

2.1                   Members are asked to assert three Public Rights of Way on foot from:

1.      Upper Malone Road to Old Coach Road

2.      Old Coach Road to Malone Heights

3.      Old Coach Road to Malone Playing Fields

3.0                   Main Report

3.1                   Key Issues

                        The Access to the Countryside (Northern Ireland) Order 1983 places a duty on District Councils to ‘assert, protect and keep open and free from obstruction or encroachment any public right of way’. 

                        In 1998 an investigation was begun into the nature of paths which run along remnants of the Old Coach Road. This road carried traffic from Belfast to Dublin but was abandoned when the road was diverted in the 1800s. Remnants of the road continued to be used and subsequently a number of recreational facilities were developed on the land including Malone Playing Fields.

                        Legal Services have been consulted and have confirmed that the path appears to meet the common law tests for establishment of a public right of way. The public’s right would terminate at the entrance to Malone Playing Fields which meet the criteria of being a place to which the public can legitimately resort. The public’s right also extends to other sections of the Old Coach Road namely Malone Heights and a further section from Old Coach Road to Upper Malone Road. It is therefore recommended that the Council assert these Public Rights of Way as required by its duty under the Access to the Countryside Order.

                        For a Public Right of Way to exist at Common Law there are two essential elements,

a)     Dedication by the owner of the soil

b)     Acceptance of the Right of Way by the public

                        Dedication by the Landowner can be either express or presumed. The vast majority of cases will turn on presumed dedication by the Landowner, as only very rarely will a Landowner expressly dedicate his lands as a Public Right of Way.

                        The following evidence shows presumed dedication by the landowner;

a)     Continued use of the path for a number of years.

b)     The routes in question have been used ‘as of right’ by the general public.

c)     The public’s use of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5e

Given that this was a request for financial support and no budget was available, the Committee agreed to refer this matter to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for its consideration.

A Member noted her concern at the 50/50 response rate in one of the streets and outlined the damage that this could do to Good Relations.

            The Committee agreed the erection of second street nameplate in Irish at, Lupus Grove, Herbert Street, Ladbrook Drive, Hillman Court, Lagmore Glen, North Parade, Mulberry Park, Brompton Park, Grangeville Drive and Cliftondene Crescent.

The Committee approved the applications for the naming of the following new streets in the city:

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The Committee is asked to note that Council has received two requests from event organisers to host events in Botanic Gardens in November 2024 and these include.

·        Red Sky at Night – Household Belfast C.I.C – Tropical Ravine

·        Sound of Belfast and The Factory Sessions – Factory 61 – Tropical Ravine

·        Puzzle Lady Filming – Five Down Films ltd – Friars Bush Cemetery

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       The Committee is asked to grant authority to the applicants for the proposed events on the dates noted; subject to the completion of the appropriate event management plans and satisfactory terms being agreed by the Director of City and Neighbourhood Services and on the condition that the Event Organisers:

                                               I.     resolves all operational issues to the Council’s satisfaction;

                                              II.     meets all statutory requirements including Public Liability Insurance cover, Health and Safety, and licensing responsibilities; and

                                            III.     shall consult with adjoining public bodies and local communities as necessary.

            Please note that the above recommendations are taken as a pre-policy position in advance of the Council agreeing a more structured framework and policy for ‘Events’, which is currently being taken forward in conjunction with the Councils Commercial team.

3.0       Main Report

            Key Issues

3.2       If agreed, the event organiser or promoters will be required in advance of the event to submit an event management plan for approval by the Council and all relevant statutory bodies. This will include an assessment of how the event will impact upon the surrounding area and measures to mitigate these impacts.

3.3       Red Sky at Night – Household Belfast C.I.C – Tropical Ravine – Monday 28 October 2024 to Monday 4 November 2024

3.4       Belfast City Council has received a request from Household Belfast to host an art exhibition called Red Sky at Night in Botanic Gardens Tropical Ravine. Household work with various communities throughout Belfast to create public artworks that the people in the area can relate to.

3.5       The artist that Household will be working alongside is Kanich Khajonsi who wishes to create an immersive arts installation in the Tropical Ravine. This will involve the set up of speakers and various lights and small objects to create an immersive experience for those who are attending the event. This event is co-funded between Belfast City Councils 2024 programme and the British Council.

3.6       The event will be free to members of the public to book onto and will have time slots beginning at 4pm with last entry to the exhibition being at 10pm. Members are to be aware this takes place outside of the regular opening hours of the Ravine and Botanic Gardens therefore, staff would need to be available to open and close the park to those attending.

3.7       As the event will operate outside of normal opening hours a member of staff will be required to open / close and staff the facility. Any staffing costs incurred by Council will be charged to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5i

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       This report provides an update on the Alleygate Phase 5b Programme.

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       Members are asked to note the contents of this report that the Notice of Intention for Phase 5b and additional self-funded streets are advertised as per the legislation.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Members will recall that at it’s November 2023 meeting the Council’s SP&R committee agreed to proceed with the publication of a Gating Order for the installation of gates in those streets where the threshold for responses to the consultation had been 40% and above.  Furthermore it agreed to proceed with a further consultation exercise for all remaining streets that had not met the Threshold.

3.2       All those streets that were not advertised in Tranche 1 of Phase 5 have been revisited. Residents were canvassed through a postal survey, and this was followed up with a door-to-door consultation. Those streets that still had low returns were visited three times by canvassers and a form or information letter delivered.

3.3       All those streets canvassed have now reached the threshold for consultation responses returned as agreed at the November 2023 meeting of the Council’s SP&R Committee and can now progress to the Notice of Intention phase.

3.4       Councillors should note that within Tranche 2 there were 857 responses received from the 1065 residences canvassed. There were responses from 361 residences citing that they have been the victim of antisocial behaviour and crime. However there have been 33 objections received to the installation of gates. 

3.5       A sizeable amount of these objections related to post gating issues with waste and bin collections. Some have cited ability issues with opening and closing of gates. Officers will contact those respondents to allay any fears and source solutions to any problems. It is anticipated that this should negate possible objections to the Notice of Intention.

3.6       The additional self-funded locations at Coles Alley and Ventry Lane have returned the requisite consultation forms with no objections and citing a high level of crime, drug use and antisocial behaviour.

3.7       Members should note that should objections be received during the Notice of Intention phase this may necessitate the Council holding a local inquiry, which, to date, has not been necessary in previous phases.

            Financial and Resource Implications

3.8       All associated costs are covered within existing budget estimates.

            Equality or Good Relations Implications/

            Rural Needs Assessment

3.9       No Good Relations or Equality issues.”

            The Committee noted the report and agreed that the Notice of Intention for Phase 5b and additional self-funded streets be advertised as per the legislation.

            The Committee was advised that a request had been received from New Lodge Arts seeking to host the North Belfast Lantern Parade in Alexandra Park.  The event was a project of the Ashton Community Trust that was managed by New Lodge Arts, a voluntary organisation working across communities in North Belfast for over 20 years. 

            The Members noted that the event was aimed at families, with the following planned events:

·        A Lantern Parade making its way from Girdwood Community Hub in Cliftonpark Avenue to Alexandra Park;

·        Art Workshops and street performers;

·        An outdoor cinema;

·        Magical evening event to include outdoor performances;

·        Stage entertainment; and

·        Fireworks display to close the event.

            Following a query from a Member, the Director advised that the Council did not have a policy in relation to fireworks and the potential noise impact to animals, in particular dogs, but provided reassurance that all fireworks displays were licensed in accordance with the relevant statutory requirements.

            The Committee granted authority to New Lodge Arts for the use of Alexandra Park on 29th – 30th October, to host the North Belfast Lantern Parade, subject to the completion of the appropriate event management plans and satisfactory terms being agreed by the Director of City and Neighbourhood Services and on the condition that the Event Organisers:

                      i.          resolve all operational issues to the Council’s satisfaction;

                     ii.          meet all statutory requirements, including Public Liability Insurance cover, Health and Safety, and licensing responsibilities; and

                    iii.          shall consult with adjoining public bodies and local communities as necessary.

            The Committee noted that the above recommendation was taken as a pre-policy position in advance of the Council agreeing a more structured framework and policy for ‘Events’, which was currently being taken forward in conjunction with the Council’s Commercial team.

            At the request of the Chairperson (Councillor R. Brooks) and Councillor Flynn, the Committee agreed that an update report would be submitted to a future meeting providing options, along with the feasibility of pilot areas for dog litter bins to be located now that the tender had been completed, to include looking at mixed bin options and benchmarking against what other Councils were doing.