COMMITTEE FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
OFFICIAL REPORT
(Hansard)
Inquiry into Town Centre Regeneration
6 December 2007
Members present for all or part of the proceedings:
Mr Gregory Campbell (Chairperson)
Mr Jonathan Craig
Mr Alban Maginness
Mr Fra McCann
Mrs Claire McGill
Miss Michelle McIlveen
Witnesses:
Mr Donall Henderson ) Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations
Mr Marcus Patton )
Mr Chris Williamson )
Mr Fergal Eastwood ) Ballymena Town Centre Partnership Business Improvement District
Mr P J McAvoy )
Mr Mervyn Rankin )
Mrs Hazel Bell ) Larne Borough Council
Ms Geraldine McGahey
The Chairperson (Mr Campbell):
Good morning. I welcome the representatives of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations (NIFHA) to this morning’s evidence session, which is part of the Committee’s inquiry into town centre regeneration. We will listen to your oral evidence now and put questions later.
Mr Chris Williamson ( Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations):
Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. I will give the Committee a general introduction to the federation’s written submission. An updated version of that submission containing a longer list of housing association schemes is available for members. I will then hand over to Mr Marcus Patton, who is the director of Hearth Housing Association — one of our member associations. Mr Patton will outline his experience in this field, and then, with your permission, we will be happy to take questions. We realise that the Committee has a heavy programme today, so we will not take up any more time than is absolutely necessary.
The Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations is the representative body for over 40 housing associations in Northern Ireland. Most of those associations are registered with the Department for Social Development (DSD), but some are not. That does not make them any less a housing association; they are simply in a different category of association. I mention that because some unregistered housing associations have extra flexibility; they are able to do certain things that registered associations are unable to do because of the nature of Government regulation. Hearth Housing Association is registered with the Department, but works hand in glove with the Hearth Revolving Fund, which is an unregistered housing association. Mr Patton will be able to show how working hand in hand the two organisations can achieve better results than if they worked separately.
Housing associations manage 30,000 homes in the North of Ireland. Not all of them are in the urban regeneration areas that are the focus of the Committee’s inquiry, but a good few are. Our members have been working away quietly, but effectively, for over three decades. Their work was not branded as DSD regeneration work; it was work that needed to be done, and it happened to be in town centres or village centres, as well as in Belfast and Derry. They got on with that work — it did not have any fancy title — and it has been very effective.
We have listed a range of projects in our written submission, from the restoration of alms houses that date back hundreds of years, to the pulling down of derelict or unused buildings in town or village centres and replacing them with modern housing units such as apartments, bungalows or town houses.
Since 1991, housing associations have drawn private loans from commercial sources to contribute to that work and stretch the available public money. They have also drawn little — or not so little — pots of money from various charitable sources or from the National Lottery. Those various funding strands are brought together in useful ways. There are examples of the living over the shop (LOTS) scheme, both in old and new buildings, which is an important and useful initiative, particularly in the town centres.
The raison d’être of town centres is the commercial activity. We are not saying that town centres should be totally replaced by housing. We are saying that housing can and should make a valuable contribution to a mixed and lively urban environment, in particular, an environment that helps to keep the place alive at night-time, and, therefore, more secure and attractive. There are benefits to the commercial sector in that there is a more commercially interesting offer.
I will now hand over to Mr Patton.
Mr Marcus Patton ( Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations):
Good morning. If members want some additional information on Hearth Housing Association, I have some brochures that I can pass round.
I am here as a representative of a sample housing association. Hearth is an unusual housing association in that it is quite small and works specifically on existing buildings, whereas most associations work with new buildings. About 30 years ago, the National Trust and the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society set up the association with a view to selecting buildings of character that were derelict, or at risk, in town centres and prominent locations around the Province.
We have worked mainly on listed buildings and buildings in conservation areas. We have worked on several buildings that are not listed but which we thought had historic character and contributed to the townscape. By restoring such significant buildings, we can contribute to the regeneration of town centres. Rather than pulling down buildings and starting from scratch, retaining the character of historic buildings is an important element in making people proud of their area. For instance, we recently worked on the town hall in Portrush and with Coleraine Borough Council on restoring a building there. That was with the Hearth Revolving Fund, which is not tied exclusively to housing but can be used for other buildings that we consider to be key to the location, was used in the Coleraine project.
We have also worked on a housing project in association with Lisburn City Council when together we restored a couple of gate lodges at Wallace Park that had been derelict for about 10 years. We managed the houses, but they are within the council’s park, and the restoration has been helpful in bringing the park to life at different times of the day.
The regeneration of an area, through retaining buildings and making people proud of it, saves a great deal of money, which is not the case when an area is wiped out and building is started from scratch. The restoration of three derelict buildings in a terrace means that the remaining 10, which are perfectly OK, do not have to be pulled down, something that has often happened. We believe in trying to find those two or three buildings in an area rather than in large-scale development. As you will see from the booklet, Hearth is a small association but has worked in a wide range of areas, and I hope that you recognise many of the buildings on which we have worked.
Mr Williamson:
I should have introduced my colleague on my left: Donall Henderson is the federation’s housing policy and research manager.
The Chairperson:
I am interested in registered as opposed to unregistered associations. The terminology is unfortunate because, as you explained, it is not a question of whether one is right and one is wrong or one is fully approved and the other is not. However, there is a distinction, and perhaps Mr Patton is the best person to explain it. Do the unregistered associations have greater flexibility and are they quite content to be unregistered because of that? What is the distinction?
Mr Williamson:
Marcus can give you some specific examples, but a little cottage on the Antrim Road comes to mind. Both of Marcus’s organisations were involved in its restoration, and some detail on their participation may help to answer your question, Chairman.
Mr Patton:
Before registration was introduced, we started as an unregistered association, and the original idea was that that would operate as a building preservation trust, of which there are now a dozen. I am going off on a tangent slightly, but there are about a dozen building preservation trusts in the Province, and about 400 throughout the UK. We started off with that in mind and then, when the Orders on housing associations were introduced, we were able to access housing funding that allowed us to work in an additional way.
Our unregistered housing association, the Hearth Revolving Fund, continues to operate side by side with the association. We have used the unregistered association when there has been no immediate social-housing need in an area but there has been a use for the building in that it could be made habitable or when a building was too expensive and did not fit within the yardsticks that housing associations have to operate. Therefore, we have used the unregistered association when we have been unable to work within the registered housing association rules or when we have had to move very quickly, because the Revolving Fund does not have to face the bureaucracy that housing associations inevitably face.
The building on the Antrim Road that Chris mentioned was originally a little gate lodge, or cottage ornée, and it was under threat. It was being regularly set on fire, and the owner wanted to find a new owner to take the building on rather than putting it on the market and waiting for it to be burnt out completely.
We were able to take it on and — a week or two later — having agreed the project in principle, we started work on restoring the building. The building was then transferred to the housing association. It was rented by a social-housing tenant who, subsequently, bought the building through the right-to-buy scheme, so it has been subject to three processes.
The Chairperson:
Therefore, it is really within those confined circumstances?
Mr Patton:
Yes.
Mr Williamson:
It is simply to give the extra flexibility. Sometimes money is available from one source, and not from another. There is also the aspect of speed.
The Chairperson:
In that particular circumstance, the process seems to have worked well.
Mr F McCann:
I have seen some of the work that Hearth Housing Association has done. Its development in College Square North is excellent. You can often see a flock of film crews working there. It is an excellent development, as is the Antrim Road development. You mentioned the LOTS scheme. How important is it to have mixed tenure housing in city and town centres, as a means of keeping those centres alive?
Mr Williamson:
When you use the term “mixed tenure”, are you referring to housing tenure or to mixed use?
Mr F McCann:
When I say “mixed tenure”, I mean private, social and affordable housing.
Mr Williamson:
The Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations supports mixed tenure. We look forward to far more mixed-tenure schemes coming down the track, particularly helped by the planning legislation. Whether on a small scale, or a larger scale, the federation favours mixed tenure. We believe that it is good to give people a choice of building style and tenure so that, if their circumstances or preferences change, they do not have to move far away to find another house that suits their emerging circumstances.
The living over the shops scheme is merely one aspect of housing provision. I do not wish to mislead the Committee in any way when I say that it is a long, complicated road to achieve a successful living over the shop initiative. I do not want to underestimate that, and I do not pretend that it will instantly solve the problems associated with town-centre living — or lack of town-centre living. Nevertheless, it is one aspect that can be worked on. There are lots of vacant spaces above shops in most of our towns and villages.
Mr F McCann:
Some weeks ago, presentations on the subject of towns, mostly, and cities were made to the Committee. During those presentations the Committee was informed that town centres and city centres had died because people had moved out of them. How important to the federation is the rebuilding of city and town centres, through the provision of housing?
Mr Williamson:
We consider it to be very important, and increasingly so. Adding to the housing stock — especially, at low densities on the edge of towns — is an environmentally unsustainable way of proceeding. Therefore, it makes good sense to reuse brownfield sites and to reuse existing buildings, if they are suitable.
Mr Donall Henderson ( Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations):
We are in favour of, and encourage, city-centre living as a way of reducing the number of car users coming into, and going out of, the city on a regular basis. Also, developments, such as the new Victoria Square retail centre in Belfast, in which some private apartments are being developed, will increase the commercial and retail sector in the city centre and will encourage more job opportunities. Therefore the city centre will be a more attractive place for people to live because of the convenience of being able to travel to and from work without the need to use public or private transport.
Mr Williamson:
The Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations takes its conference to other cities in the UK, Ireland and Europe. We have seen a number of examples of housing associations having provided housing with zero car-parking provision. The housing is quite deliberately designed in that way. However, other arrangements are in place, which, due to the inherent location of the place, render a car unnecessary for getting around. Often there is a car-pooling arrangement — not just car sharing — which works well. Of course, the success of such schemes is dependent on good public transport. I look forward to the day when a housing association in Northern Ireland undertakes that type of project for the first time.
The Chairperson:
Is there any timescale for that to happen, or are you simply hoping that it will?
Mr Patton:
The Planning Service usually insists that car-parking spaces are provided. We have done schemes in Belfast which are flats with only a small number of car-parking spaces. We do not regard the car as being an essential part of projects; if people live in the centre of a town they do not necessarily use a car. I use a car only one or two days a week. If I can walk somewhere, I do.
Mr Williamson:
There are some small-scale examples of minimal car parking; one by SHAC Housing Association opened about one year ago at the end of University Avenue. In that scheme, there are roughly 10 flats and only one car space, which is for a wheelchair user. It is not rocket science. Although today’s discussion is supposed to be about areas outside Belfast and Derry, that is an example of the direction in which the planners are going. I want to move further in that direction.
Mr Craig:
The point was made that, in Belfast, abolishing the building specification of one-and-a-half car spaces to an apartment has been accepted. Was there any difficulty getting that flexibility from the Planning Service?
Mr Patton:
When you are working with an existing building, the Planning Service is usually more flexible. That is particularly true if the building is listed — which the ones that we tend to work on are — as it may have been a problem building for many years. The planners are usually keen to find a use for it. Of course, they still start from the ideal of parking spaces, but it makes sense that, if a building is fairly contained in itself and does not have a lot of space around it, you will need yard space for drying clothes and rubbish bins. Often, car-parking space is not necessary for someone who works close by and does not have a car.
Mr Williamson:
Chairman you asked if there are any examples of projects with zero car-parking spaces coming through. There are none that I am specifically aware of. However, I have suggested them and have received a positive reception from one elected representative in East Belfast. The area along the Newtownards Road offers lots of scope and has good public transport already close by. That is the sort of place — not the only place — where a project with zero car-parking spaces could be brought forward.
The Chairperson:
You have now a very good sounding board to raise the issue again, so others may well pick that up.
Mr Patton:
We have done a project with zero car-parking spaces in Newtownards; the roads engineers insisted that cars would not be able to come into the development because it was on a busy road — Court Street. In that project we restored terraced housing and converted a stable into flats. There is no car-parking provision at all, but there are spaces nearby. The residents do not have cars, but they are in the town centre.
Mr Williamson:
I would like to make one final point. Our members are here, there and everywhere and are enthused by town-centre working; they are well experienced at it and have a record of delivery. If the DSD regeneration unit has ideas or possibilities, it will find a receptive welcome from our members if it makes contact with them.
The Chairperson:
The Department will receive the minutes of our deliberations, including the minutes of today’s meeting, so, hopefully, it will take up that matter.
Gentlemen, thank you; your presentation was very informative. We will circulate a copy of the booklet to members.
The Chairperson:
The witnesses have helpfully supplied a written submission, and the Committee has had a chance to look at that. I invite Alderman McAvoy and his colleagues to make opening submissions, after which Committee members will ask questions.
Mr P J McAvoy (Ballymena Town Centre Partnership Business Improvement District):
Thank you, and good afternoon. As Deputy Mayor of Ballymena Borough Council and chairman of the Ballymena Town Centre Partnership, I will outline the background to the business improvement district. That will be followed by comments from my fellow board members — Mr Mervyn Rankin, formerly chief executive of Ballymena borough council, and Mr Fergal Eastwood, property developer and owner of the Tower Centre in Ballymena — regarding the lack of policy and its impact.
Ballymena Borough Council established the town centre partnership in 2003 as a consultative body of the council. It is led by a steering group consisting of elected members, commercial representatives and a range of public agencies, including the Department for Social Development (DSD), the Department for Regional Development (DRD) and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Ballymena Borough Council was then, and still is, the only statutory or Government body that provides funding for that partnership, which is matched by private-sector businesses.
In 2006, after considerable research — which included a study tour undertaken by representatives of the business community, elected council members and a representative from the Department for Social Development — Ballymena Town Centre Partnership became a voluntary business improvement district (BID), namely Ballymena BID. The voluntary status arose due to the lack of legislation that is in place in the rest of the UK and in Ireland.
Ballymena BID is currently an independent body of some 400 members, offering both full and associate membership status. It has delivered or brought about a wide range of projects, and secured £120,000 in funding during 2006, £60,000 of which was from the private sector. It is the only voluntary business improvement district in Northern Ireland that covers an entire town centre.
However, although I recognise the efforts being made by individual staff, such as Ian Snowden, the deputy director of the DSD office in Ballymena, I question DSD’s commitment to Ballymena at a strategic level, given the lack of funding support for Ballymena BID. DSD continuously promotes town centre partnerships as a model of best practices, but fund only those of Belfast and Derry. That suggests that, when it comes to regeneration, DSD is focused on Belfast and Derry at the expense of the regional towns, which is demonstrated by the continued existence of the respective regeneration offices. Ballymena Borough Council has borne the cost of supporting Ballymena BID, while others such as Belfast City Centre Management Company receive funding from DSD through its Belfast Regeneration offices.
The DSD should adopt a needs-based approach to urban regeneration activities and funding, and should pay due regard to social need, specifically to the ability to contribute and compete. DSD should fund the creation and maintenance of town centre partnerships, and those should be the main driver for the process of the master-planning strategy development and the delivery of operational plans.
Furthermore, DSD should fast-track the introduction of legislation to allow the delivery of the bids in Northern Ireland that were delayed by direct rule Ministers until after the introduction of review of public administration (RPA).
Mr Fergal Eastwood will elaborate on what I have said.
Mr Fergal Eastwood (Ballymena Town Centre Partnership Business Improvement District):
Good afternoon. I have been asked by Ballymena BID to provide a summary of my real-life experiences with DSD. The Eastwood family have been the private owners of the Tower Centre in Ballymena since 2003. In 2004, we undertook the development of the façade of the centre at Wellington Street. It was rather tired and we felt that the centre needed that spend, which came at a private cost of £2 million.
In tandem with that work, in early 2004 we approached Roads Service in relation to the multi-storey car park, which lies at the rear of the Tower Centre at Springwell Street. It is the main car park for the town of Ballymena. We were concerned about the tired, dirty appearance of the car park and the extent of anti-social behaviour that was evident in the car park, especially at weekends. In summary, Ballymena is a great shopping town, and I am sure that the members who know Ballymena will agree that the car park provided a poor first impression.
In conjunction with our architects, we presented plans to DRD for a replacement car park with an element of retail provision for the area. Departmental officials from the Ballymena office engaged with us in a professional manner, but, on the matter of ownership, referred us to DSD. In light of DRD comments, we refined our scheme, and met DSD in mid-2004. Myself and our agent, Billy McCombe — an experienced planning surveyor and agent in Belfast who works for DTZ McCombe Pierce, and who had worked in what was then the Valuations and Lands Agency — followed up that meeting with a request for a further meeting for feedback. Nine months later — in April 2005 — a meeting was arranged at the DSD offices at the Gasworks site in Belfast. I remember it well, because we were kept waiting for 55 minutes by a senior DSD official, and, as I recall, we did not receive an apology. That senior official was intent only on impressing upon us that times had changed and that he was subject to scrutiny by the Public Account Committee and could not make decisions by himself. We stressed that we wanted merely to table for meaningful discussion the possibility of a multi-storey car park as an opportunity development site in Ballymena, and that we were willing to put our own money into the project.
In time, it became evident that DSD wanted to deal only with another development scheme on Alexander Street in Ballymena in which they were involved, but that was not communicated clearly to us. They had appointed private consultants GVA Grimley and were awaiting their recommendations and feedback. Two and a half years later, the issues surrounding the Alexander Street scheme remain unresolved, and somewhat protected with regard to what the real issues are. It is the subject of further, costly, private consultancy engagement. There has been no meaningful communication to the public concerning its delay, and it continues to drain the public purse. More importantly, it continues to frustrate an overall, holistic, development approach to Ballymena’s town centre.
There is an ongoing phased programme of work at the original car park — our initial bugbear — to improve the façade, lighting and security, and to address the anti-social behaviour issues that I mentioned. As a BID, we have received assurances on that, and all the stakeholders in Ballymena are grateful.
With regard to the possible development of the multi-storey car park in Ballymena, DSD was unwilling to embrace public-private partnership, and, in my meetings, its officials were obsessed with what could not be done rather than what was achievable. There was an obvious lack of strategy in relation to Ballymena, and if a strategy did exist, it was poorly communicated. My overall impression of DSD, through its involvement in this issue over the past couple of years, is that, as an organisation, it displayed a lack of ownership of its assets, and that it operated in a culture where — at least concerning our proposal — the safest option was to do nothing. With that, I hand over to Mervyn Rankin.
Mr Mervyn Rankin (Ballymena Town Centre Partnership Business Improvement District):
I worked in Ballymena for 16 years until January 2006. Then the BID group invited me to stay on as an adviser — unpaid, I may say; I am not a paid consultant. I stayed on, as I have a real interest in the work that we did as a council in Ballymena and I have an interest in developing the partnership in the town centre. We put a great deal of hard work into getting to where we are today, by bringing together not only such people as Mr Eastwood and larger developers, but the representatives of smaller, indigenous businesses in Ballymena, to focus on issues relating to the town centre.
I want to emphasise some of Alderman McAvoy’s points. There is a definite lack of strategic planning. In 1998, when ‘Shaping our Future’ was produced, we identified key hubs and district towns. Ballymena was identified as a key hub. However, even today, there is no area land-use plan available to address town centres such as Ballymena. Therefore, we work with a town-centre plan that evolved in the 1980s and early 1990s, but many things have changed.
Mr Eastwood highlighted difficulties in relationships with the Department for Regional Development and the Department for Social Development. An example is the issue of on-street car parking in Ballymena. It took years for us as a partnership to get to where we are today and to find a system that suited Ballymena. The Department for Regional Development tried to impose systems that were suitable for Ballymoney, Limavady and Strabane, but they were not suitable for Ballymena, as it was a different town with a different outlook.
The Chairperson:
I seem to remember a closure in Church Street that necessitated a ministerial decision to open it.
Mr Rankin:
That is correct. We had a ministerial inquiry for a barrier to be removed at the top of Church Street. The street has been opened for some years now, and I have heard of no complaints.
The partnership was essential to bring together all the key stakeholders in the town centre. along with the elected representatives. It has achieved ownership of many things. A marketing campaign on television is steered and guided by the BID group. Last year, a huge amount of money was invested in Christmas lights for Ballymena. The group guides and works together on such issues. Therefore, there must be some strategic focus.
Although the Department for Social Development has been good with some initiatives, it has been mainly ad hoc. It has not rewarded the success of town centres that have flourished and are driven by the market where people come to shop. That has not been addressed. Therefore, we need a strategic framework to address that and reward that success. However, we do not say that it should not be equitable or that we should not address disadvantaged areas of other town centres. Indeed, about half a mile from Ballymena town centre is Ballykeel, which is 55 th on the Noble index of deprivation. Ballee is not far behind at 57th or 58th. Therefore, Ballymena has disadvantaged areas.
Recently, consultants were appointed to examine a master plan for Ballymena town centre. However, no thought has been given to how that will be steered and to how groups such as BID could steer, work and grow that internally. One of the biggest difficulties at local level concerns communicating what will happen. Parachuting consultants in to come up with great ideas that may not be achievable is not the answer. They must work in partnership with locally-elected representatives, and those who invest and work in the town centre.
The Chairperson:
Thank you very much, gentlemen. You raised various concerns about how the Department for Social Development has conducted arrangements with regard to Ballymena. The Department will receive the minutes of this meeting, so it is hoped that those concerns will not be lost on it. The Committee understands the difficulties faced by towns such as Ballymena in trying to make progress. The Committee is interested to hear how you believe that Ballymena’s success as an urban regeneration project during the past five or six years has come about.
Mr McAvoy:
I will ask Mr Eastwood to answer that question because as a property developer who has a big interest in the town, he will have an opinion on that.
The Chairperson:
You will understand that the Committee is examining urban regeneration in towns outside of Belfast and Londonderry. It, therefore, wants to see examples of good practice in towns that can demonstrate their success, either as somewhere to live or in retailing — the aspects that conjure up a successful project. How would you characterise Ballymena with regard to those criteria?
Mr Eastwood:
I do not believe that Ballymena has become a success during the past five years: it has always been a strong retailing town. I am not from Ballymena. However, its catchment area for retailing in County Antrim is good and stretches as far as the north coast. Through my involvement with various committees in the town, I have found that Ballymena Borough Council is open-minded about embracing private owners, such as the partnership members. It is good at getting financial commitment, and matching it, for various projects that benefit the town throughout the year. I am involved in other towns across the Province; however, I have not seen such commitment to council/private owner co-operation. In fact, it is very much a struggle. I commend to the Committee the businesslike approach taken by Ballymena Borough Council.
As a stakeholder in the town, I believe that Ballymena has always enjoyed a strong retail reputation. However, it must build on its strength through projects such as the car park and the overall development of the town centre. Otherwise, it will fall behind. We must continue to search for ways to improve the town. We cannot rest on our laurels purely on the town’s reputation as a retail centre. Those are some of my thoughts.
The Chairperson:
What about the change that has occurred in retailing in the town? In the last few years, considerable emphasis seems to have been put on the upper part of the town, around the Fairhill Shopping Centre. Has that come about by accident or has it been locally driven?
Mr Eastwood:
That is the way that Ballymena has expanded, geographically and demographically. However, as the owners of the Tower Centre — the older and more traditional shopping centre in the town — we, as a family, do not get panic-stricken when other shops and centres, such as the Fairhill Shopping Centre, come into the town. If Ballymena has more to offer overall, that helps all the boats to rise. Therefore, businesses do not try to compete with each other, rather to build up Ballymena.
The Chairperson:
Did that come about through natural business practices or was it locally driven?
Mr Eastwood:
Our ownership of the Tower Centre started in 2003, but the Fairhill Shopping Centre existed, or was in train to exist, before that. Our policy is not to object to anybody doing anything sensible in the town. There seems to be an understanding that we should make the town good for the betterment of the town, and if people come into the town, everyone will feed off that.
The Chairperson:
How did the particular projects in different parts of the town centre come to fruition? Was that left to the private sector?
Mr McAvoy:
We emphasise that the strength of our independent traders is a major factor, and people who know Ballymena will agree with that. The arrival of the big store-owners in Ballymena was an incentive for development. However, as the top shopping town, we pride ourselves on the fact that we have the blend of the independent shops. We will not allow ourselves to be cloned like many other places where, if I were to go close my eyes, go somewhere and then open them, I could still be in the place that I had left. Ballymena has its strength in the independent names of the traders in our main shopping areas, and that stands out.
The Chairperson:
That is a strong combination.
Mr McAvoy:
Conclusively. Part of the success of Ballymena is the blend of the multiples and the independents, and we are proud of that.
Mr Rankin:
You asked what was the catalyst for the success of the town. Some of the European funding and the local economic development money had a role to play. We focused on the strengths in Ballymena. We had some large manufacturing bases, such as Michelin Tyre PLC and Gallagher Ltd, and Wrightbus Ltd was beginning to develop. However, as part of our first economic development strategy, we identified retailing as a core economic development theme. We emphasised —
The Chairperson:
Who are “we”?
Mr Rankin:
The council did it. Initially, an economic development partnership was started which involved the Chamber of Commerce, some of the business people, the further education college, and such like. That is how we started the whole idea of moving towards a town-centre strategy, the establishment of a town-centre partnership and the appointment of a town-centre manager, and integrating that with other issues.
Partnership, and the integration of partnership, is one of the key factors. We do not work in isolation on community safety: community safety is part of integration into the town centre. It is extremely important for the evening economy and antisocial-behaviour problems. Like Belfast and other places, Ballymena has had many initiatives to try to deal with problems of community safety after 6.00 pm.
There has been integration and a partnership. It has not been easy, and there were battles to be fought. There were old allegiances, for example, the Chamber of Commerce saw itself as being responsible for businesses — and that was pointed out at the last BID meeting. However, that is now integrated into our BID’s partnership and it is very much a part of that organisation. Success is about working in partnership, ensuring that we complement each other in what we are doing, having a clear vision of the way we want to go, and a clear strategic outlay. Departments, such as the Department for Social Development, have a role to play: we need that vision and strategy as to where we are going.
Many of us felt that “Shaping our Future”, the regional development strategy for Northern Ireland, was the start, and that key hubs were identified. I would have loved to have seen sub-regional plans that dealt with land-use planning and the other issues, rather than distinct council area land-use plan. Perhaps those are the seeds of community planning for the future, but that is a little down the way. However, success involves partnership, a clear direction and someone co-ordinating in the centre. Naturally, you would expect me to say that should be the council — and it should be. There should be strong leadership from elected representatives and from the council to try and act as the catalyst.
The Chairperson:
OK. That is useful and helpful.
Miss McIlveen:
Chairperson, I ask for your indulgence in asking this question. I have already met Mr Eastwood while wearing my other hat as an Ards borough councillor. Obviously, I am particularly positive about my own town of Newtownards; but so much more could be done. I am very impressed by Ballymena and I love going there to shop.
Mr Eastwood:
Thank you.
Miss McIlveen:
I would like to see Ballymena’s success replicated in Newtownards. Mr Eastwood has had experience of Ards borough council and the town’s chamber of trade. Can he envisage a scheme, similar to Ballymena’s BID scheme, replicated in Newtownards? How could that forward our plans for the town and, obviously, his ideas for the town?
Mr Eastwood:
Miss McIlveen makes a valid point. It strikes me that Newtownards lacks an initiative such as the town centre partnership that exists in Ballymena, with the business improvement district meetings and the various subcommittees that go with it.
In Ballymena, I notice that people are not allowed to become entrenched, narrow-minded or self-interested. They meet regularly. In Ballymena, no one can hide from others and do his or her own thing: people have to face up to their neighbours and buy into the fact that we are trying to make the whole town better.
It is a template that I would love to see implemented in Newtownards; however, it takes people with energy to organise it, drive it through and involve stakeholders. Ballymena is lucky to have Colin Neill, who is sitting behind me. He is such a person: he is generous with his time and he will — I hope — be more than helpful in assisting other towns to develop in that way.
I could not recommend strongly enough to Newtownards the town centre partnership and the BID scheme initiative. I am committed to them.
Mr A Maginness:
I thank the witnesses for the presentation. It was most useful and helpful. I have a couple of points to raise. Mr Eastwood used the problem with the car park to highlight a problem with the Department for Social Development. Sorting out a system of parking in the town centre was another problem. Both of those are, primarily, the responsibility of the DRD. The DSD is the lead Department in overall development of town centres, in taking initiatives and so forth. Was the problem with the DSD, or with the DSD trying to manage another Department?
Mr Eastwood:
I can answer that categorically. The Department for Regional Development manages that car park. I am told that it is the only multi-storey car park that exists in Northern Ireland under Government management, and DRD manages it for DSD.
When we had refined our ideas, met DRD, shown it our drawings and received its written input into how it would like to see the development plan amended, it said that if we wanted to take the plan further and explore some change of ownership or development brief, we must speak to DSD. It was committed to writing by DRD that it cannot speak for ownership. That is how that evolved.
Mr A Maginness:
So the problem really lay with the Department for Social Development in not pushing that process forward?
Mr Eastwood:
There were a lot of frustrations in the story that I have just told. We were unable to get anywhere, even to get off first base. The Department was terribly slow to respond to us.
Mr A Maginness:
I wanted to understand that and grasp the idea. You are a developer and you have plenty of experience. Ballymena’s development is obviously very successful. What is the formula for successful development? You have pointed to the partnership: is there anything over and above that that is the formula for success? That is my central question.
Mr Eastwood:
Alderman McAvoy mentioned the existence of good independent retailers in Ballymena who have been there for years and know what to do and do it well. Everyone in Ballymena has bought into the goal of getting the shopper into the town. Retailers are not competing against their neighbours; everyone in Ballymena is fighting for every pound that they can bring into the town. It is a team game: that is the essence of Ballymena’s success. However, we do not want to rest on our laurels. We must keep improving the town. There is a collective willingness to fight for every pound into the town, as opposed to wondering where it is going within the town. I do not see that in other towns.
The Chairperson:
Do you agree with Mr Rankin that the partnership approach was the key to achieving that success?
Mr Eastwood:
I agree totally and absolutely.
Mr McAvoy:
I can give Mr Maginness an example of how that partnership has worked between the council and the private traders. When new Christmas lights were needed in 2006, the council agreed to match the traders pound for pound. The traders raised £60,000, which was matched by the council, and the result was a magnificent display of lights for the whole area. That is how the council is working together with the independent traders and the multinationals. We have gone down that road collectively, but we will need assistance from the Assembly to enlarge, enhance and improve that partnership through the bids that we are developing.
Mr Rankin:
Chairman, we have not addressed the point that you made earlier about the drift to the north end of Ballymena caused by the two shopping centres, and the potential for preferred development in Alexander Street. The council saw that happening. At the south end of the town there were the stores at Braidwater, the larger Sainsbury’s store and the white-goods outlets such as B&Q. We were fortunate that many of those stores are located almost in the town centre. Many other towns do not have that benefit, because the stores are sometimes half a mile or a mile from the town centre.
We have developed a project at the town hall, where an arts centre is opening this month. Our new regional museum, which has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund arts fund, opens in May 2008. That is a £16 million to £20 million development at the bottom of Ballymena. There is a wonderful opportunity — which fits into the concept of a master plan — to create public space opposite the museum and to create a new centre for Ballymena that joins up the retail parks at the lower end of the town. That was the vision that the council had — to invest in a night-time facility for Ballymena that would include theatre and concerts. The council’s arts officer told me that the Gaiety Theatre want to use it, because it is one of the only theatres in the Province with a fly tower. That booking is there for next year, there are already bookings through until 2010. The working partnership between the council and the business people was part of the strategy.
The council leads those partnerships with the benefit of European seed funding. We are now searching for other sources of funding, such as working with the business people for the money. The idea of the voluntary bids is to obtain that extra money to keep the impetus going in the town centre and to keep all the partners on board. That is the key, but it needs a lead at a local level, and must be locally driven. It is a question of first among equals: partners working together for one goal.
The Chairperson:
That is the sort of information that we wanted to hear.
Mrs McGill:
Mr McAvoy said at the outset that he believed that the location of DSD offices in Derry and Belfast was a problem for other towns. I picked up on that point because I agree with it.
Mr McAvoy:
At the moment, there is a DSD office in Ballymena, and it has been open for some months. That is all the more reason why DSD should be making a major effort to tackle that issue. The gentleman that we mentioned from the regional development office, Ian Snowden, is very good and works extremely well with us, but we wonder why no movement is forthcoming from the Department for Social Development.
Mrs McGill:
There is much talk of partnerships, and you are involved in a town centre partnership, which is obviously very business-oriented and involves private enterprise, and so on. Is the community and voluntary sector involved in any of your partnerships, and, if so, to what extent?
Mr McAvoy:
It is indeed.
Mr Rankin:
The community and voluntary sector is not specifically involved in the town-centre partnership; it is mainly business folk, elected representatives and the other agencies that have an interest. However, the network has been built up, because the Department that looks after economic development in towns also looks after community development and the network with the community sector. The social economy is important in Ballymena, too, and I will give an example of developments in Ballymena.
Mr McAvoy is the chairperson of the Ballymena Business Development Centre, and, after three phases, there is now an outreach centre at Ballykeel, and units are being built in Harryville, the village of Ahoghill and the village of Cullybackey. The rent from those business units and the offices and facilities that they provide will help to sustain local community groups. That strategy was put in place to address the problem of European funding drying up and the need for sustainability for community groups in future. Thus, the community and voluntary sector has not been left out in the cold; it is not strictly part of the town-centre partnership, but it features very much in the overall strategic economic outlook for the borough.
Mrs McGill:
DSD’s overall aim is: “Together, tackling disadvantage, building communities.” From my perspective, the community and voluntary sector is key to achieving that aim and to tackling disadvantage and poverty, as outlined in the terms of reference. DSD has certainly been criticised for its piecemeal approach.
Mr McAvoy:
We opened the Ballymena North Business and Recreation Centre, which Minister Ritchie visited about two months ago. It is situated in the heart of one of the most deprived areas of Ballymena — the Dunclug estate, of which I am sure that the Committee has heard. It has had a big drug problem for many years. This scheme provides an incentive to regenerate the area. Business units in the Ballymena North Business and Recreation Centre are used by Homefirst Health Trust and various other bodies. Thus, results will be generated in that most deprived area.
The Chairperson:
I am always reluctant to generalise. However, could I say that the success in Ballymena has come about despite departmental involvement rather than because of it? Would that be a reasonably accurate summary?
Mr Eastwood:
Yes, that would certainly be my experience.
Mr McAvoy:
Chairperson, you have summed it up in one line.
The Chairperson:
Thank you very much, gentlemen. It has been a very useful and informative session.
The Committee welcomes now the representatives from Larne Borough Council, Ms Geraldine McGahey and Mrs Hazel Bell. We have received your paper and are delighted that you could spare the time to come. We have just heard about the experiences of the representatives from Ballymena, and we would like to hear what you have to say. Committee members will then have an opportunity to ask questions.
Ms Geraldine McGahey (Larne Borough Council):
At the outset, Mr Chairman, I ask that the Committee accept our apologies for being late and delaying your process.
My name is Geraldine McGahey. I am the chief executive of Larne Borough Council, and my colleague Mrs Hazel Bell is the town development manager. I will present evidence on behalf of the council, and my colleague and I will endeavour to answer questions or queries that you may have in relation to our submission.
Larne Borough Council initiated the Larne development forum in 1995 to act as the local area partnership for the promotion of economic development of the borough, and the town development office was established as one of the forum’s projects. The town development manager has been employed since January 1997. Over the past 10 years, the development office has assisted in the delivery of local economic development action plans, as well as demonstrating the benefits of town-centred management for the borough of Larne, the council and all of our other stakeholders.
The experience of the town development office, over the last 10 years, has been focused on a lack of policy for town centre regeneration, and we hold the view that there has not been joined-up government with a common commitment to town centres. The experience of Larne was used as one of the case studies in the January 2000 EDAW final report, which was commissioned by the Department of the Environment (DOE). It focused on the Northern Ireland town centre reinvigoration study, which was overseen by an interdepartmental steering group since it was recognised at the outset that to develop policies for the successful reinvigoration of town centres in Northern Ireland would require consultation, consent and appropriate contributions from a wide range of interests.
The report made a number of recommendations involving a wide range of matters including town centre management, planning, transport and housing. The policy proposed from the study fed into three key categories — organisational, policy co-ordination and incentives. However, no policy appears to have been adopted, and that has contributed to the lack of clear focus for town centre regeneration on a consistent basis across Northern Ireland. Funding for individual activities and projects in Larne has been drawn from a range of sources, including our local strategy partnership, our community safety partnership, private-sector contributions, Larne Borough Council’s own budget, European regional development funds, the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) and the Department for Social Development (DSD).
For a range of reasons, there have been limited opportunities to avail of DSD programmes. For example, neighbourhood renewal is a targeted programme that provides resources for those areas and pockets where deprivation is highest. Measure 2.11 was equally targeted at specific areas that did not include Larne. The recent urban development grant (UDG) pilot scheme included Larne and demonstrated that there was a high level of interest in pursuing town centre schemes if there was some support available. We gained funding through the grant programme to support the promotion and marketing of town centres as operated by DSD. Our town centre is not eligible for townscape heritage initiative funding, and we have made an application to the Housing Executive for designation as a town centre living initiative area.
Where Larne is eligible for DSD programmes, those are applied for on a competitive basis. The good practice guide entitled ‘Vital and Viable’ confirms that DSD will support only those projects that have been identified in locally planned and supported city and town centre strategies, which are subject to budgets and to a number of tests.
Over a number of years, we have sought to identify appropriate partners and adequate resources to develop meaningful town-centre master plans. After several years of lobbying, the regional development office of DSD has confirmed that it will appoint consultants to carry out that work, and the Minister has supported that as well. We welcome that.
A master plan will ensure that there is an integrated and agreed town-centre strategy, which we hope will provide a framework for regeneration by all stakeholders. However, in reaching that point, it has been difficult to establish whether there was a clear process for the council to request DSD to resource the master plan or whether DSD had any programme for the production of master plans. As that is identified as a fundamental requirement for further investment of DSD resources, it has been difficult for Larne town centre to compete for any funding.
It is also clear that the range of powers available to the council, or to DSD, would not be implemented without a strategic context. Again, as a small local authority, Larne will be seeking further support from DSD to pursue comprehensive development projects that are identified through the master plan, including site assembly, complementary environmental improvement and public-realm investment.
The council cites its experiences in that regard as evidence that there appears to have been no strategic direction on the part of DSD as to when, and for where, town-centre master planning should be undertaken. Our failure to obtain definitive answers in the past to those questions strengthens the view that DSD’s targeted support for town centre regeneration, until recently, has been reactive to situations, such as civil unrest and destruction, outside of which, it is purely developer led.
If the latter is the case, the net result was investment only in those town centres where there was already a keen interest in private-sector investment, rather than support for those areas that were suffering substantial economic and physical decline and which, in some cases, were identified under the targeting social need policy, all of which has contributed to further social and economic deprivation.
The council would further cite its experiences in trying to secure support from DSD for the development of a master plan as evidence of the failure of Government Departments to deliver a joined-up approach to their customers. It has long been the policy of successive Governments to provide joined-up services to the public, and it is unfortunate that we within the various strands of the public sector cannot take a joined-up approach to assisting one another.
Over a period of two years, council officers obtained agreement with the regional office of DSD that a master plan was essential to address the regeneration of Larne town centre. Within parameters of very limited resources, both offices agreed that the most economically viable way forward was to combine the master-planning process with the work that was scheduled to be undertaken by Planning Service in the development of a new area plan. However, due to difficulties within Planning Service and its need to reallocate staff to development-control matters, rather than take forward the area-planning development, neither the regional office of DSD nor Larne Borough Council could get Planning Service to agree the tender brief for the necessary research work, despite the fact that Planning Service had agreed that a joint venture, funded by all three offices, was the only sensible, strategic way forward.
Another consequence of the absence of a strategic plan for the regeneration of Larne town centre is that private developers have acquired sites in order to create large development potential. In many cases, those sites have remained underused and derelict for a considerable time. They detract from the vitality of our town centre, creating an image of abandonment, which is unattractive and unwelcoming to visitors and investors alike. It creates an impression of a town that is dead on its feet. It would appear that, while those private-sector interests seek support to help develop their sites and projects and inevitably pursue a very lengthy planning process, other small, one-off projects quickly gain planning permission. The subsequent development results in a piecemeal, ad hoc redevelopment of individual town-centre sites that contributes little to overall regeneration and breathes life into economic sustainability and community well-being.
The town centre living initiative, as delivered by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, also provides the opportunity for town centres, such as Larne, to ensure that there is some degree of activity outside normal trading hours. That provides a catalyst for the development of a night-time economy, which is crucial to any vibrant society. Larne does not have a night-time economy.
The council has applied unsuccessfully for designation under that initiative on two separate occasions. On each occasion, the reason given for not granting such designation was that there had been a lack of strategic context — the proposals failed to fit with any overarching strategic plan for the area. That further demonstrates the need for Government Departments to co-ordinate their approaches and the delivery of services and support. More importantly, it demonstrates the fact that the absence of a strategic direction in DSD to support town centre regeneration has not only hindered progress in town centres, but has actively prevented town centres across the Province from availing of other opportunities where support is most needed.
Given councils’ experiences, to date, it is our view that DSD should develop a programme of support to ensure that all city and town centres in Northern Ireland have strategic master plans in place, which include appropriate review mechanisms. In addition, town centre retail and leisure capacity studies must be produced to ensure that economic and business development cases can be supported. Individual town centre master plans that deal with property development and environmental improvements, and town centre strategies that deal with business development, training, marketing and promotion, would further guide future public and private investment. There should also be key performance indicators and common measurement tools in order to assess the impact of all those plans.
DSD should facilitate an interdepartmental group to ensure that, within their respective departmental responsibilities, there is a commitment from all relevant Departments to contribute to, and resource, town-centre regeneration.
In promoting partnership working within the town centre, Larne has developed connections with DRD, DSD, DETI, DOE, etc, each having its own role in the town centre, and we endeavour to ensure that our action plans recognise everyone’s contribution. Our objective is purely to seek collective ownership and commitment to delivery. Unfortunately, the process relies on goodwill. Currently, those relationships have been developed and maintained only at a local level, and any new strategic approach must be underpinned by collective working and formally recognised through an interdepartmental group, if not under the power of well-being and any new functions that might be delegated to councils under the review of public administration (RPA).
Developing and sustaining town-centre partnerships is vital to the success of town-centre regeneration. Such partnerships might have different structures that meet local circumstances, but they require resources to support their development. The development of partnerships is vital for engagement with local communities.
In such partnerships, engagement with the private sector is also a key factor. In Larne, current private-sector contributions are voluntary, and, although made by only part of the local business community, the whole business community eventually benefits. The business improvement district model contributes to economic and social benefits, which complement investment in major physical infrastructure.
Neighbourhood renewal seeks to support regeneration through social, economic and community actions. Given that it is a targeted programme, town centres are often excluded. Town centre regeneration funding support from DSD should extend beyond investment in physical and capital projects and should be available for a wider range of projects whereby, eventually, town-centre strategies might be considered to be equivalent to neighbourhood renewal action plans.
The urban development grant pilot scheme for selected regional towns should be extended and mainstreamed as a means of engagement with the private sector and to encourage investment across the region. The pilot scheme that was operated in Larne drew 15 eligible applications. Unfortunately, due to the available budget, only one scheme was actually funded. Given the impact that that scheme delivered for Larne, that is regrettable.
In conclusion, Larne Borough Council holds the view that there has been no strategic direction from DSD towards the regeneration of town centres. Neither does there appear to have been any attempt to co-ordinate, or join, the efforts of many Departments and agencies that have been involved in the regeneration. It is regrettable that the recommendations of the Northern Ireland town centre reinvigoration study 2000 were not fully implemented. We welcome the fact that the situation is under review by this Committee.
On behalf of Larne Borough Council, I wish to record our appreciation for the invitation to submit evidence to the Committee and for the opportunity to address members today. Thank you.
The Chairperson:
Given that we are pressed for time, I will just ask one question. In your submission, you referred to a number of vacant sites and the fact that they had been allowed to remain vacant. Are those a mixture of sites and vacant commercial properties, or just sites?
Ms McGahey:
They were vacant commercial properties that were bought by developers, many of which have subsequently been demolished.
The Chairperson:
In my experience, some towns went through that process, and when the issue of rating vacant commercial premises was resolved, there was a speedy uptake by landlords who, if they were going to have to pay rates, ensured that they purchased property where they could, and eventually let them out to tenants. Are you saying that Larne did not experience that?
Ms McGahey:
Larne did not experience that. The properties were demolished.
The Chairperson:
They were just demolished because the rates were not affordable.
If we have any other questions we will write to the council, if you are content with that. Have members any questions at this time?
Mr A Maginness:
What effect would urban development grants have on Larne town centre?
Mrs Hazel Bell (Larne Borough Council):
Those are tied in with the empty sites and the master planning. There is a certain level of interest from people who want to put their toes in the water. If there were a bit more support they would be prepared to provide further investment.
Mr A Maginness:
They are an incentive.
Mrs Bell:
The urban development grants were an incentive for people who were unsure. One scheme is currently on site on the main street, which will make a big impact. There is potential for key sites, with support from urban development grants, to make other impacts and create the confidence of the private sector to continue investing its money. We believe that private-sector potential exists and is ready to come into Larne. However, because there is no context in which it can be done, it is difficult for us to promote that.
Mr Craig:
Geraldine, did I pick you up correctly when you said that on at least two occasions, you went to the Department for Social Development to look for help, but felt that you were let down?
Ms McGahey:
I would not say that we were let down by DSD, by the regional office. We have lobbied them and have had several meetings since mid-2005. The regional manager agreed with us that there was a need for a master plan and agreed to support it. The council had some funding, as did DSD, but there was a shortfall that prevented us from carrying out a study that would satisfy everyone’s needs. We approached the Planning Service, which agreed that the work that it would have to do in developing a new area plan complemented what we were each trying to achieve.
It was agreed collectively that the best way forward would be for all three parties to be involved in the writing of the tender brief and to finance it. However, because of resource problems in the Planning Service and the difficulties generated by planning policy statement 14 (PPS 14) and other aspects, the reallocation of resources meant that the area planning team was stood down. As a result of that, Planning Service refused to move forward. The whole master-planning process was put in abeyance until such times as the Minister agrees to make the necessary funding available. The council received an offer of funding through a local strategy partnership, but we had to turn that offer down because we had insufficient funds to take the exercise forward.
The Chairperson:
Thank you, Ms McGahey and Mrs Bell. If we have any further queries or require clarification, we will write to you. Thank you both for your attendance today.