Three years ago in a co-operative arrangement between Stormont and the Treasury, Northern Ireland initiated two major city deals: one for the Belfast region, the other for Derry and Strabane.
imilar arrangements are also under consideration for other parts of NI.
The intention of the City Deals is to deliver better and faster local development backed up by the promise of matched supplementary funding from the Treasury.
Delivery has been delayed by the concentration of actions by many of the local and statutory agencies to cope with the Covid-19 crisis.
However, for the Belfast Region City Deal, the preparatory work has been continuing quietly and slowly.
A particular challenge for the Belfast Region City Deal has been the need for a co-ordinated response in the absence of a central authority with leverage to deliver for the Belfast region.
To prepare an agenda for an inclusive representative growth programme, Belfast City Council established a Growth Commission drawing on the skills and talents of key organisations which could contribute to this agenda.
The commission included the chief executives of Belfast City Council and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Suzanne Wylie and Grainia Long, as well as Angela McGowan, director of the CBI in NI, and NI Chamber of Commerce chief executive, Ann McGregor.
The Growth Commission has recently published its first report. Reviewing its conclusions, chair Sir Michael Lyons said that the objectives were to support inclusive growth that reduces the gaps between the living standards of local residents, rather than increasing them: levelling up.
The conclusions were designed to take the form of a series of proposals for action by government (local, regional and UK-wide) as well as other agencies and organisations, private and public.
The strength of the commission report lies in the undoubted knowledge and expertise of the members. In contrast, the weakness could be the absence of a delivery mechanism.
Recommendations by the commission do not readily become agreed action plans for Government departments, Belfast City Council or the Housing Executive.
The proposals must still be tested by whichever agency might have the implementation authority. Belfast City Council is now in a position to provide a leadership role.
In the absence of a formal delivery vehicle, such as a development corporation with sufficient authority or influence, the commission’s recommendations later implementation may fall short. The importance of skills, education and training to both inclusive growth and innovation encapsulate the Reset for Growth agenda.
In a closely argued report, the commission touches on a wide development agenda which is motivated by efforts to enhance productivity, generate sustainable development, improve the quality of life for residents and promote enhanced education and skills.
Two issues identified by the commission stand out for specific attention: the possible application of climate change constraints in the Belfast region and, second, the scale and shape of the plans to provide housing for a growing population.
It describes a roadmap for Belfast to meet its carbon reduction targets by 2050. There is only a high level statement of ambition, not a useful detailed guide on its operational implications.
But it does represent a starting point for some difficult operational decisions yet to be made.
The pressing need for clear decisions on housing policy in the Belfast region is a major theme of the commission work.
This should be no surprise although housing issues were not prominent in the early plans for the City Deal.
The commission suggests that by 2035 there should be 11,500 new homes in the city centre.
This housing development programme is related to plans for renewal in the city centre, increasing the number living in the city but with recognition that the changes should be sustainable and designed to facilitate an intelligent future where Belfast plays an important role in relation to a global future.
These housing ambitions are, as will readily be appreciated, based on needs that would be widely acknowledged, but stop short of ideas on how they should be delivered.
The many agencies involved, including Belfast City Council and the Housing Executive, would need to adopt radical policy changes to make 11,500 new homes possible.
The City Deal is forcing some new thinking along with new delivery mechanisms. The hard work is only now starting.
