HL Deb 21 February 1989 vol 504 cc591-600

8.10 p.m.

Lord Lyell rose to move, That the draft order laid before the House on 25th October 1988 be approved.

The noble Lord said: My Lords, the purpose of the order is twofold: first, to establish a new authority, the Laganside Corporation, to promote and market development opportunities for the riverside area of Belfast known as Laganside; and, secondly, to enable the new corporation to undertake within its designated area physical works, including works to the river, infrastructure provision and environmental improvement schemes, and, more importantly, to pay grants to encourage private sector development.

The proposal is further evidence of the growing confidence in Belfast as an investment opportunity. A combination of public and private sector investment has resulted in a quite remarkable turn around in the city's physical infrastructure, appearance and confidence.

Since 1985, the private sector has invested some £200 million in major retail and office developments in the central area. The proposal seeks to extend that central area by empowering the designation of nearby lands and creating a corporation with the necessary powers to tackle their regeneration. Some £240 million of potential investment has been identified, of which £200 million could come from the private sector.

It is to maximise that exciting potential that the Government propose to establish the Laganside Corporation. The corporation will be similar in many respects to urban development corporations already established in England and Wales. To enable it to fulfil its task of regenerating its area, it will have power to acquire and dispose of land, to offer financial assistance, to enter into agreements to help secure development to make by-laws to control the use of the river and to undertake works to or adjacent to the river. One of its first major tasks will be the construction of a new weir and lock across the River Lagan which will give a constant level of water and help create a more attractive river environment.

Like existing urban development corporations in Great Britain, the Laganside Corporation will not be a permanent body and will be dissolved once it has completed its task of regenerating its area.

We estimate that it will require a budget of approximately £80 million over an assumed 15-year lifetime.

The proposed Laganside land area covers some 350 acres, of which 120 acres, mostly in public ownership, has potential for development. The potential development sites include redundant Belfast Gasworks, Maysfield, Laganbank, Donegall Quay, Clarendon Dock and, most importantly Abercorn Basin baths, rooms and other sites which bear my noble friend's illustrious name. The Abercorn Basin is one of the more important sites in the area. The corporation's boundary will be designated by separate subordinate legislation following the making of the main order. The corporation's area of operation can, if necessary, be extended by order to include any further riverside land which becomes available for development.

Finally, I stress (though I believe it will be clear to anyone who knows Northern Ireland) that the proposals have been generally welcomed locally because of the benefits which will accrue in terms of both urban development and the expected improvement to the Laganside River environment. I therefore commend the order to the House, and I beg to move.

Moved, That the draft order laid before the House on 25th October 1988 be approved.—(Lord Lyell.)

Lord Prys-Davies

My Lords, we now arrive at the banks of the brown and polluted River Lagan in Belfast. Again, I should like to thank the Minister for introducing the details of the order. It establishes the Lagan Corporation, which is to be responsible for the economic regeneration of at least 120 acres of semi-derelict land alongside the River Lagan, which I understand reaches into the city centre.

We understand that the Laganside Corporation will be the driving force behind the dockland-style initiative in Belfast; that a substantial part of the funds will be provided by the private sector; and that it is hoped that investment will generate about 2,000 to 3,000 jobs in the course of the next 10 or 15 years. That would be a substantial contribution, though obviously much more is required. That gives us a growth of about 2,000 jobs a year. I mentioned that fact because the development has been described by the Environment Minister for Northern Ireland as the boldest and the most imaginative proposal for the city of Belfast in nearly 300 years. It is gratifying to be given that inspiring message. Our hope must be that the Minister's assessment will prove to be correct, that the jobs prediction will be sustainable and that this development will be the basis for even greater development.

We hope that the development will contribute to the social and economic well-being of the communities outside the corporation's designated area. I agree with the Minister that the order has been generally welcomed in Northern Ireland. He will also know that there are people in west Belfast who believe, rightly or wrongly, that the proposed investment represents the wrong kind of investment, relying as it does so heavily on the marina, leisure-time activities, offices and shops. They say that the development is in the wrong place. I refer especially to the Lower Ormeau Residents' Action Group and to the Community Technical Aid Organisation, which were anxious to petition your Lordships' House on the basis of hybridity. Bearing in mind that there will not be a second corporation of that model in Northern Ireland, it is important that the case made by the objectors in west Belfast is answered. I put it no higher than that.

The corporation, like the UDCs in England and Wales, is not accountable to the people who live and work in the designated areas. To a Social Democrat, that is a central weakness of all urban development corporations. I should like to ask the Minister one or two questions which flow from the corporation's lack of accountability to the people living and working in the designated areas. The corporation will have the power to make by-laws. Will Belfast City Council have an opportunity to comment on the draft by-laws which the corporation is empowered to issue? Will those by-laws require the approval of the department? Will the Minister impress on his honourable friend the need to impress on the corporation the value of adequate consultation with the city council and with organisations which represent the adjoining communities if they are likely to be directly or adversely affected by the exercise of the corporation's powers? We should have thought that the corporation would be sensitive to the impact that the powers may make on the adjoining community.

The Minister referred to the corporation's power to acquire land. Will it have power to acquire land compulsorily or only after agreement? As I understand it, it is not intended that the corporation will be a permanent body: it will be dissolved in about 15 years' time. If we can look ahead 15 years in the circumstances of Northern Ireland, to whom will the responsibilities of the corporation ultimately be transferred? If there is a continuing liability on the part of the corporation, who will undertake that continuing liability upon the dissolution of the corporation? Will it be transferred to the local authority, to the Department of the Environment or to another transferee body?

Having raised those few questions, I have a very strong feeling that the corporation wild brighten the Laganside waterfront. Our hope must be that it will bring benefit to the city of Belfast and the communities beyond the city. It is for those reasons that we welcome the order and wish every success to the corporation and all those who will devote their labour and energies to the partnership between the public and the private sector.

The Duke of Abercorn

My Lords, in welcoming and supporting the long awaited order I wish to declare an interest for since autumn 1987 I have been chairman of Laganside Limited, a government-sponsored company which might be described as an interim vehicle in order for the responsibilities for this ambitious redevelopment on Laganside River to be transferred on a phased and orderly basis from the Department of the Environment to the proposed corporation. I have no doubt whatsoever that the interim period will prove most beneficial for the redevelopment of Laganside.

In this type of major project it is necessary for a person of real vision and energy to take the initial and all-important lead. Belfast is fortunate that Mr. Richard Needham, the Minister responsible for the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment, has undertaken this role with such evident success as well as energy and determination.

From the outset we in Laganside have adopted a policy of quality and, wherever possible, originality. My colleagues in Laganside believe that the people of Belfast deserve nothing but a development of the highest possible quality. Again there will be specific and important flagship developments which we hope will not only raise morale within the community but also attract considerable positive interest from outside Northern Ireland. At the same time--and I wish to make this very clear we are sensitive to the genuine concern of those who feel that a quality redevelopment will bar lower income groups from the undoubted benefits of the scheme. I wish to reassure not only this House but also those who genuinely harbour concern that good design need in no way involve high cost, as has been clearly demonstrated in recent years by the very successful Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

Inner city renewal is primarily an environmental challenge in order to create a change in image which in turn creates the right climate for commercial investment. Therefore I hope that this House will be interested to hear that earlier today in Belfast the Minister, Mr. Richard Needham, announced a comprehensive redevelopment of £20 million within the Laganside area but without a request by the successful developer for an urban development grant. I trust that the House will agree that that bodes well for the future. In fact through improving the all-important infrastructure with the implementation of the new weir by 1991 and continuing feasibility studies, progress is being achieved on all fronts with minimum delay. Since it is essential for a corporation to co-ordinate all the start-up work and to ensure the successful conclusion of redevelopment on either side of the River Lagan, I support the order.

Lord Dunleath

My Lords, we must be grateful to the Minister for having presented this order to us, and also to the noble Duke for his very informative speech. I think that this is a most exciting opportunity for Belfast, perhaps the most exciting during the last century.

I wish to ask whether there is an overall architectural concept for the redevelopment of Laganside. I sincerely hope that it will not be piecemeal, a bit here and a bit there, but that rather in the way that Nash designed Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus a design which has so unfortunately fallen by the wayside since then—there should be a concept for the entire project. The scale should be proportionate to the city and to the river itself.

It is worth reflecting how valuable urban waterways can be. Venice is of course the obvious city which people talk about, but I admire Leningrad and Amsterdam every bit as much. I think that the Lagan in Belfast could be every bit as great an enhancement. I am sure that under the noble Duke's direction that will turn out to be the case. I sincerely hope that the development will not be prejudiced by commercial interests and the erection of 1960s utilitarian type buildings of which we have seen all too many, unfortunately, in recent years. I hope that the opportunity will be taken to transform Belfast from being a city of no great repute in the past to a city which we can all be proud of. I am sure that that is possible and I wish the noble Duke and the Minister every success in the project.

8.30 p.m.

Lord Blease

My Lords, like other noble Lords in this House, I am not a public representative in the elected sense, but the Laganside Corporation project has given rise to more representations and correspondence to me than I have received on any other matter with which I have dealt over almost the last 11 years. I am sure that the Minister, with his experience in his ministerial duties and in Northern Ireland, will agree that the order we have just debated and approved as well as this order embrace very important community factors in the Province. They both deal with matters concerning active community involvement. My noble friend Lord Prys-Davies has already mentioned democratic processes and the nature of community participation in schemes of this nature.

The two orders being discussed this evening involve citizens from all walks of life in Northern Ireland where people are being invited to look for new horizons and work together for the common good and future wellbeing. I feel that if those community factors are nourished, nurtured and encouraged, they should cut across any narrow sectarian divisions which may exist in the Northern Ireland community in particular in this area.

Active community involvement needs to be clearly identified in terms of social initiatives to be taken and the practical working together of public agencies, investors, public and community organisations, voluntary groups and individuals. Those are important factors which must be incorporated in some form of active participation and co-operation for the overall benefit of the community and a better life for all.

A number of aspects of the proposed Laganside development deserve the highest praise. I concur with the remarks made about the Minister. He has given good leadership. I believe that the planners appointed by the DoE—a London firm and a Belfast firm—have produced an excellent study. Their report is one which I think will stand in substance and in principle.

I feel that I can best contribute to the debate by reading from a document sent to me concerning Sailortown, if the Minister is listening. Sailortown is one of the areas decimated in the process of urban renewal in the city of Belfast. I was sent a copy of a seven page letter from the Boyd Partnership to the Department of the Environment on 14th September on behalf of the residents' association in the Pilot Street area. It says: The area bounded by Princes Dock Street, Garmoyle Street, Corporation Street, Corporation Square and the river is an area rich in historical and visual resources—Harbour Office, Sinclair Seamens Church, St Joseph's Church and the Clarendon and Ritchie Docks—contained by the new dock entrance, major traffic routes and the river. It has the potential to be a real 'people-place' a jewel in Belfast's new docklands". That is the heart of the matter. Unless people in that particular area are involved I believe that the project will lose its dynamic.

The document goes on: Social/community and recreational facilities in the area are experiencing a re-birth; St Joseph's Church is being refurbished and new community rooms established; Pat's Bar is being radically improved". That is an important development. The general shop on Garmoyle Street has been re-opened and the Dockers Club extended and improved; 'The Flying Angel' missions to seamen building has just been completed". Since the letter was written the mission has been opened officially by the Princess Royal

The point of the letter is that planning permission has been stifled on the fringes of the development area. The letter states: Community housing and the social schemes around the edge of Laganside offer a number of strategic advantages. They can be started quite quickly to provide the right environment for Laganside to develop within; they can help to integrate Laganside with the local community to the benefit of both (avoiding the notorious London Docklands problems); they can avoid the derelict edge to Laganside which will occur if speculators are encouraged to sit on land waiting to see what will be the most lucrative complement to 'Laganside across the road'; they can avoid the 'Laganside shadow' which could blight non-grant-aided areas just ouside the boundary of Laganside". I believe I have quoted sufficiently from the letter to the Department of the Environment to indicate that there is serious concern about the manner in which the projects on Laganside go forward.

I conclude by asking few questions to clarify the situation. Can the Minister explain just how rigid or flexible is the proposed Laganside designated area plan? Will minor adjustments be allowed to meet the requirements of the Belfast area plan?

I believe that the financing of the proposal has to be more explicit. It is not mentioned anywhere in the order, but the Minister has indicated that something like £80 million of public money will be put forward with £280 million expected to he generated from private sources.

Schedule 1, paragraph 15, deals with the appointment of a chief executive and other officers and servants. The explanatory document states that Laganside Corporation, when it becomes operational, requires a staff of some 20 or 30 people. The corporation will rely heavily on the use of private sector consultancy experts to be paid by the corporation. I note and agree the requirements stipulated in the order that the chief executive should be appointed jointly by the DoE and the corporation. Am I correct in assuming that other staff posts will be advertised publicly? That is an important aspect to many people in Northern Ireland.

I should also like to ask the Minister whether I am right in assuming that the annual report which will be laid before the Assembly will also be laid before each House of this United Kingdom Parliament?

Finally, perhaps I may ask the Minister to comment again on the employment which the development corporation plan is to generate. I have heard conflicting figures. I think that the commissioned plan states 2,000 to 3,000 jobs, 80 per cent. of which would be in the service sectors and would be new employment activity. Can he comment on that point?

I support the order. There is an onus on the Laganside Corporation fully to consult the various organisations which are deeply involved in the area and to carry out a very up-front public relations exercise to answer the questions that have been asked by the people in Northern Ireland.

Lord Harris of Greenwich

My Lords, I should like to say just a few words about the order. I welcome it unreservedly. It is altogether admirable that Belfast—still faced with a daunting security problem—will soon have a development corporation doing extremely valuable work. Unlike the noble Lord, Lord Blease, I do not regard the London Docklands Development Corporation as having such an unfortunate reputation as he has implied. Having seen the work of the corporation, I very much hope that some of the best we have seen in docklands will be witnessed in Belfast also.

However, there is undoubtedly one major problem in the docklands which may exist in Belfast—the very ugly interface between considerable poverty and affluence. It will certainly be one of the most formidable challenges for the new development corporation to ensure that it deals sensitively with these issues, rather more sensitively, it is only fair to say, than has happened in some parts of docklands.

Turning to the first schedule, the constitution of the corporation, it says in the second section that, of the members who are appointed, one will be appointed after consultation with Belfast City Council. I assume, and no doubt the Minister will tell me if I am right, that the city council will be asked to nominate a representative. I think that is an important consideration. Some of the London local authorities, in my view extremely fool shly, decided not to make recommendations for membership of the Docklands Corporation and they lost a great deal thereby. I very much hope that the city council will be encouraged to make nominations, because undoubtedly the work of the corporation will proceed far more smoothly if it has civilised working relationships with the local authority. I should be grateful if the noble Lord, Lord Lyell, could reassure me on that point. However, having said that, I think this is a day for some degree of celebration so far as Northern Ireland is concerned and I welcome the order without any reservation at all.

8.45 p.m.

Lord Lyell

My Lords, we have had a fascinating debate on what is one of the most encouraging orders I have presented to your Lordships in my career serving in Northern Ireland. The tenor of all your Lordships' speeches has been optimistic and I am immensely grateful for that. Your Lordships have raised queries and I hope to be able to answer all of them. If I miss any of the points that have been raised, I shall write to those noble Lords who are concerned. Many of your Lordships will appreciate. certainly the noble Lords, Lord Prys-Davies, Lord Blease and Lord Dunleath, that some of the queries call for rather lengthy answers and therefore it is not unlikely that those Members of your Lordships' House will be receiving replies in writing from me. I hope that the usual channels will make such communications available to those of your Lordships who are interested.

The noble Lord, Lord Prys-Davies, is quite right to stress that the whole of the Laganside development plan should indeed build on the thriving commercial and business centre of the city. I think it is accepted that it is part of the city's pride and joy and is much admired by everybody, no matter where they live. I agree that West Belfast is the subject of its own development plans and I do not think your Lordships would wish me to touch on that subject tonight, even briefly.

The noble Lord asked me about the by-laws for the corporation. First of all, they require the approval of the Department of the Environment and, secondly, they will be published so that everyone, including the city council, will be able to make representations before the by-laws come into effect.

As regards land acquisition, the corporation can acquire land compulsorily, but I would stress to your Lordships and especially to the noble Lord, Lord Prys-Davies, that of the 120 acres concerned, 96 per cent. is already publicly owned by various corporations that I mentioned: the derelict gas works and other corporations. It would not appear that there would be a major problem there hut certainly the balance concerned me. All the indications we have of the land that is not publicly owned show that the owners share the enthusiasm of my noble friend the Duke of Abercorn, who warned me that he would have to slip away, and also the enthusiasm of everybody in Northern Ireland.

The noble Lord, Lord Prys-Davies, asked what would happen when the corporation was dissolved. In something like 15 years from now, which would perhaps be a reasonable target, the corporation's main role, the regeneration of the city centre, would be finished. Decisions would then need to be taken on the transfer of the property and the structures which are owned by the corporation. More germanely, decisions will have to be taken as to who will control the section of the river between Stranmillis Weir and the harbour limits and the new weir structure. I do not think that should prove to be a major obstacle. I think that the Laganside Corporation would be able to consider that. I do not think that there will be liabilities but I should like to consider this and if there is anything further to add to what I have said I will write to the noble Lord.

The noble Lord, Lord Dunleath, referred to the exciting opportunity for the city of Belfast. He asked about the overall architectural concept. I am advised that the corporation will be guided in its work by a concept plan. I am not an architect but only an accountant; I understand the plan has been prepared for the Department of the Environment by architects—their names are Shepherds, Epstein and Hunter—as well as by town planners, who are a building design partnership. I hope that that will be of some help to the noble Lord and will indicate the quality of the overall plan for the architectural outlook for the whole city.

The noble Lord, Lord Dunleath, also said that he did not wish to see any of the new development reflecting the 1960s. I think that the city centre of Belfast is particularly striking and certainly I would not regard it as ugly. I understand that the plans drawn up by the Laganside Corporation are exciting and innovative in many aspects: they are very much to be welcomed.

I shall have to write to the noble Lord, Lord Blease, about the number of jobs concerned. As regards the rigidity of the area of Laganside, the initial boundary will be that which is contained within the explanatory memorandum, which I hope can be made available to him. 1 believe it is available in the Printed Paper Office and certainly it was circulated during the consultation stage. The boundary will run from the Abercorn Basin downstream right up to Stranmillis Weir upstream. It will include all the points that I referred to in my opening remarks.

As regards the staff posts being publicly advertised, I would say it is possible that a few staff will be seconded from the Department of the Environment. Apart from those, staff posts will be advertised publicly in the usual manner. The post of chief executive has already been advertised and I am sure that my noble friend the Duke of Abercorn would concur.

The annual report will certainly be laid before your Lordships' House and another place. Your Lordships will find that confirmed in Schedule 1, paragraph 19. It will also be laid before the Assembly and will be sent to both Libraries here, to Members of another place who represent constituencies in Northern Ireland and party spokesmen. I shall undertake to see that it is circulated to those of your Lordships who are interested in this aspect.

I feel I have probably omitted one or two questions that were raised by the noble Lord, Lord Blease, but I will write to him about those. The noble Lord, Lord Harris of Greenwich, to whom we are very grateful for his remarks, referred to the docklands development downstream in Greenwich. I am sure that the development in Belfast will be good and of a particularly high standard. The noble Lord asked whether the city council would be appointing a member to the board of the corporation under paragraph 2(2)(b) in the schedule. It is most unlikely that the city council will not appoint one of its expert members who would have a major contribution to make to the board. if I am wrong about that or if there is a problem, I shall certainly correct anything in writing.

I conclude by thanking all noble Lords who have spoken. The words of the noble Lord, Lord Dunleath, are most apt: this is an exciting opportunity for Belfast. Many of us believe that it is one of the most exciting developments in the history of Belfast in our lifetime because that is the scale of what can be done, regeneration not only of the city but for the people of Belfast.

On Question, Motion agreed to.