Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0Relevant Background Information

1.1Members will recall that the Council’s bid for a community hub located at Girdwood was deferred in May 2010, under the European Union Peace III Priority 2.1, total value £9.6m.  The Special European Union Programmes Body (SEUPB) undertook an economic appraisal of the project in mid-2010 and deferred their decision to allow the Council to address a number of issues related to the implementation of the project.

2.0Key Issues

2.1As per Committee’s recommendations in June 2010 and in June 2011, Council officers continued to develop the proposal for final submission to SEUPB.  This included a series of community meetings, briefings for the relevant Ministers and meetings with relevant departmental officials.  It also included the distribution of a news letter to households in North and parts of West Belfast in September and a number of other community engagement activities.

2.2At a meeting at the end of October, SEUPB’s Priority 2.1 Committee considered the additional information that the Council had submitted in relation to the Girdwood Community Hub.  The Committee commended the Council and its partners for the significant work which had been undertaken to address the issues highlighted in the economic appraisal.

2.3The Council has now received a letter from SEUPB stating that the Steering Committee has recommended the project for funding and they have forwarded it to the two governments’ accountable departments for approval.

      Only once this process has been satisfactorily completed, which can take a couple of months, will a letter of offer be issued outlining the conditions.

2.4SEUPB in their letter highlight 2 key issues:

·             Until the formal letter of offer is issued, the Council and its partners incur any expenditure at risk;

·             They also ask we refrain from making any public announcements or communications with the press about the project without the prior approval of SEUPB.

2.5The Director of Property and Projects is seeking an urgent meeting with SEUPB to determine the likely nature of the conditions of the offer.  He will give a verbal update to Committee on discussions with SEUPB and what the likely implications of the conditions of offer might be for the Council.

3.0Resource Implications

      Human

      Officers from the relevant Council departments will work with the Department for Social Development to implement a realistic project plan and community engagement process.

      Financial

      All expenditure for the project, as outlined in the application, must be claimed from SEUPB by mid-2015.

      Asset

      Property and Projects Department, in liaison with other departments, will oversee the land acquisition issues and construction programme and seek the appropriate approvals from Committee in due course.

4.0       Equality Implications

      The Committee previously approved the Equality Strategy for the Girdwood Community Hub.  It outlines how the Council will fulfil its equality obligations during the development of the Girdwood Community Hub and the Hub’s likely impact and outcomes in terms of equality and good relations.  This details the points at which the programme of work will be screened for equality impacts.

      Phase III of the equality screening is timetabled to complete by end December 11, although this is dependent on the issue of a letter of offer from SEUPB.  In this phase, we will screen the final location and building design (including Disability Discrimination Act obligations), the Community Opportunities and Benefits Plan and the ‘shared space’ programme.

5.0       Recommendations

      The Strategic Policy and Resources Committee is asked to note the contents of this report.”

            The Director of Property and Projects indicated that he had met with representatives from the Special European Union Programmes Body and they had raised a number of risks which they thought that the Council needed to mitigate before moving the process forward.  In addition, he had discussed with the representatives the use of the Central Procurement Directive Northern Ireland during which he had indicated that given the nature of the project and the need for community involvement, he did not believe that this would be the best course and the Council should act in this role.  The Committee endorsed this approach.

            A Member pointed out that he would be keen to receive up-to-date information in relation to the community buy-in for the project and a timetable for decisions.

            The Director of Property and Projects indicated that he would be producing for the Special European Union Programmes Body a critical path programme which would include a timeframe and he would submit it to the Members in due course.

            After further discussion, the Committee noted the information which had been provided and endorsed the position of the Director of Property and Projects in relation to the use of the Central Procurement Directive Northern Ireland.