Belfast City Council has been warned it will end the revival of a Market area youth club unless it waives ground rent at a host venue on its land.
Sinn Féin made an appeal at City Hall for the council to drop plans for ground rent and administrative fees at a venue, understood to be near the Lower Ormeau Resident's Action Group (LORAG) community centre at Balfour Ave, on the Lagan Towpath, South Belfast.
The youth club, which was not named by the party, was halted a year and a half ago, but through limited funding faces the chance for revival, which will be cut short if the council insists on certain fees.
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At the March meeting of the council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, Sinn Féin Councillor Ciaran Beattie raised an additional item called “Youth Club Development on Council Land”.
He told the chamber: “It has come to our attention that LORAG has been campaigning to reinstate the youth provision within the Market area in a youth club previously managed by the diocese. It closed about 18 months ago.
“But they have successfully got funding for a post, and some small funding to get it open again. The building belongs to the diocese, but the land belongs to the council.”
He added: “The council are requesting ground rent to be paid, which is not within their budget to do. The council are also looking to add administrative fees to manage the ground rent.
“This is an organisation in dire need of this service. I am not saying it is anyone’s fault, but whatever it is we have in place, it is causing difficulties. It is preventing a youth club from opening in the city, in an area where it is needed very badly.
“I would ask those barriers be removed very quickly, so this project does not fail, and this youth club is able to be opened.”
The Council Chief Executive John Walsh replied: “The legal requirement is to obtain best value. Now there are circumstances where we can apply to set that aside. We are aware of the particular circumstances (of this case), so I propose we bring this back next month.”
Councillor Beattie said: “I am happy to look at a waiver in the short term, and in the long term an asset transfer.”
Chief Executive Walsh said: “We will look at trying to work with the group to get them occupancy.”
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