Agenda item

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting in November 2022, it had agreed a new investment approach to support local business associations to develop and deliver interventions to drive footfall and create vibrancy in those areas.

            The overarching purpose of the pilot initiative was to strengthen the competitiveness of our local business destinations, focusing on actions which aim to:

·        Support the development of shared and safely accessible commercial areas;

·        Support the diversification of business destinations outside of the city centre;

·        Bring together key stakeholders to benefit business destinations outside of the city centre; and

·        Improve the quality of urban design, distinctiveness, and townscape quality.

            The Committee was also reminded that the pilot was developed in response to feedback from a range of businesses and traders’ associations across the city regarding drop off in footfall and a challenging operating environment post-Covid. Through engagement with the Department for Communities (DfC), an opportunity was identified to secure resources through the DfC Revitalisation programme. The concept for the “Vibrant Business Destinations” (VBD)  intervention was identified as a pilot programme in keeping with work undertaken by the Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) to develop a “Living High Street Toolkit”. The Council successfully secured funding of £475,000 from the Department for Communities (DfC). The Council also provided match funding to enable the delivery of advice and support to extend the scope of the scheme. VBD was intended to complement a wider programme of support and activity that was taking place within the city centre, including the Vacant to Vibrant Support Programme and previous business support interventions through the Covid Revitalisation Programme.

            The Director of Economic Development advised that the pilot initiative aimed to support up to 10 business associations to a maximum of £40,000 each for expenditure on a range of eligible activities. The objectives were to:

·        Increase engagement and partnership working between statutory partners and local business associations;

·        Support the development of area-based actions plans which address specific local concerns and deliver specific, measurable benefits over the short/medium and long term;

·        Increase footfall and sales as a direct result of marketing and promotional activity; generate new customers or sustaining customer loyalty through increasing sales revenue, increasing the number of new customers or developing repeat business;

·        Enhance the profile of the area with a view to stimulating economic activity;

·        Support the growth and development of businesses engaged in associated activity; and

·        Support the sustainability of businesses and local business associations.

            He explained that the initiative operated via a two-stage application process and that basic eligibility criteria included:

·        Groups or established associations must be led by the business community (including social enterprises and cooperatives) to address locally based issues and be committed to becoming a constituted association;

·        Groups or established associations must be made up of retail/hospitality/consumer facing businesses located on road frontage/local high streets;

·        The priority focus is on arterial routes and routes with a minimum number of 15 confirmed businesses located on road frontage;

·        Group membership should be representative of the businesses in the eligible area – both by volume and by business type; and

·        Business membership must represent predominantly owner-occupiers and independent traders, however, it could involve representation from community organisations.

            He informed the Committee that there were 48 initial Expression of Interest (EoI) requests covering the following areas: East Belfast: Eastside Partnership, Ballyhackamore, Cregagh and Woodstock Roads, Newtownards Road, Tullycarnett, The Mount, Albert Bridge, Castlereagh Place, Belmont Road, Kings Square and Gilnahirk, Castlereagh Road, Holywood Arches. South Belfast: Forward South Partnership Board, Lower Ormeau Road, Crescent Arts, Malone Road. West Belfast: West Belfast Partnership Board, Falls, Springbank Industrial Estate, Blackstaff Mill, Andersonstown Road. North Belfast: Cliftonville Circus, Lower Antrim Road, Cavehill Road, Argyle Business Park. Other: City Centre Management, Dundonald.

            He highlighted that many of the original requests had failed to meet the funding criteria or the initial enthusiasm of groups or individuals diminished over time, while others couldn’t garner enough local business support to formally apply. From the original 48 requests, ten groups were now currently being supported.

            He advised that, following successful completion of an EoI at stage 1, groups were supported to become formally constituted, and to develop area-based action plans. These plans provided an analysis of the locality, the physical environment, existing provision and key challenges and opportunities. They identified priority issues to be addressed to improve the business environment through engagement with existing businesses and stakeholders in the area. In addition, a Design Team was appointed to assist trader groups in the delivery of any capitalbased activities. The action plans and designs formed the basis for moving to a stage 2 application. A successful Stage 2 application enabled the group to draw down funding to support their action plan delivery. An overview of support was included in Appendix 1.

            The Director of Economic Development confirmed that the following groups were currently delivering agreed project activity, having had their action plan approved by an Assessment Panel whose members included Department for Communities (DfC), Department for Infrastructure (DfI) and council officers:

1.     Ballyhackamore Business Association

2.     Cliftonville/Oldpark Business Association

3.     Kings Square and Cherryvalley Traders

4.     Cregagh Woodstock Traders

5.     Cavehill Business Association

6.     Belmont Road Traders Association

7.     Lower Ormeau Traders Association

            He pointed out that each of these groups had received £32,000 (80%) of their £40,000. The remaining £8,000 (20%) balance would be released upon successful delivery and monitoring of their activities.

            He highlighted that, in addition to the work of these seven groups, three other groups were actively engaging with the Council. They included Holywood Arches, Twin Spires and Lisburn Road Traders. They were working through issues including resolving land ownership, finalising locations for planters and displays and addressing potential traffic impact of proposed measures. He explained that, in some instances, projects had not progressed as the groups had not been able to take ownership of the plan in a way that would make the investment sustainable or secure local ownership. Council officers continued to liaise with these groups to complete their applications and work towards agreed action plans.

            He informed the Committee that, to date, there had been a number of successful activities, including development of new markets, installation of planters and plant tubs and additional landscaping work and development of new mural artworks. In addition, areas had begun to develop their marketing, branding and advertising in line with the programme outcomes. As predicted, there had been a significant ramp-up in activity in the run-up to Christmas in order to derive maximum return on investment.

            The Director of Economic Development explained that early evidence from the funded interventions had shown an increase in retail spend, increase in footfall, and an uplift in positive perceptions of neighbourhoods. Trader groups had also developed their networks through additional internal cooperation and exchange of ideas and resources.

            He advised that the Enterprise and Business Growth Team continued to coordinate this programme and engage with internal officers and departments to identify wider opportunities and synergies with similar projects across the Council. Council officers would continue to engage with DfC to identify any potential future funding opportunities following the conclusion of the pilot.

            During discussion, in response to a Member’s question regarding the success of the scheme and its impact, the Director of Economic Development advised that an evaluation and the benefits of the scheme would be provided to the Committee in due course. 

After discussion, the Committee:

·        Noted the update and work undertaken to support the delivery of area-based Vibrant Business Destinations; and

·        Noted that an evaluation and the benefits of the scheme would be provided to the Committee.