Healthcheck & Benchmarking Survey September ‘17 · questionnaire and set up a comprehensive...

Healthcheck & Benchmarking Survey

September ‘17

BCCM Healthcheck and Benchmarking September 2017

of 33

Contents

Description: Page No:

1. Background 3

2. Key Outcomes

2:1 Section 1 - First Impressions of the city centre 4

2:2 Section 2 - Safety and Security 6

2:3 Section 3 – Tourism and Events 7

3. Comparison with 2016 Survey

3:1 First Impressions 8

3:2 Safety and Security 10

3:3 Tourism and Events 11

4. Recommendations




5. Analysis of Survey Results





of 33

1. Background

1.1 Belfast City Centre Management (BCCM) maximises opportunities to encourage and

stimulate private sector funding of city centre initiatives. It is established to bring

together key stakeholders within the city centre with the following mission statement:

‘BCCM will deliver additional services into Belfast city centre, on behalf of its core

funders, which contribute in a measurable way to a cleaner, safer and more

accessible city.’

Working as an operational vehicle in partnership with Belfast City Council and the

Department for Communities, BCCM acts as an enabler, facilitator and coordinator in

Belfast city centre.

BCCM works in partnership with key stakeholders to deliver a shared city centre

agenda through bespoke Action Groups which focus on the following three areas:

Economic Performance;

Public Space Management; and

Safer City.

BCCM is a company limited by guarantee. It is structured in such a way that enables

the private sector to influence the improvement of Belfast city centre through decision-

making processes by the representation of Belfast One and Belfast Chamber of Trade

& Commerce on the BCCM Board.

1.2 As part of the Economic Performance Action Plan, BCCM undertakes regular research

to establish the ‘Health’ of the city. This research provide information which is essential

to deciding what interventions will strengthen the competitiveness of Belfast City

Centre.

1.3 In February 2015, BCCM reviewed the quarterly Healthcheck and Benchmarking

questionnaire and set up a comprehensive biannual online questionnaire using Survey

Monkey.

This reports provides the results of the September ’17 survey and responses are

detailed in section 4 of this report - Analysis of Survey Results.

1.4 The survey is divided into 3 sections;

1) First Impressions of the city centre;

2) Safety and Security; and

3) Tourism and Events.


of 33

2. Key Outcomes

The survey looked at both public and stakeholder perceptions of Belfast. BCCM’s

stakeholder groups include members of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce

(BCTC) and members of BCCM’s Action Groups. A link to the survey is also available

on the BCCM website and is also promoted through BCCM’s social media platforms.

58% of those who responded were either a business or a stakeholder; and

42% of those who responded were members of the public.

The majority of answers rated elements of the city centre as either ‘Good’ or ‘Average’.

The results for all questions can be found in section 5 of this report.

2.1 Section 1

First Impressions of the city centre

General atmosphere/ambiance is rated quite positively with over half of respondents

(58%) rating this as ‘Good’. 13% of respondents rated this as ‘Excellent’ 26% rated this

as ‘Average’. Only 3% if respondents rated General atmosphere/ambiance as

‘Unsatisfactory’ and 0% rated this as ‘Very Poor’.

59% of respondents rated Levels of cleanliness as either ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’, 33%

as ‘Average’. However, 6% of respondents rated levels of cleanliness as

‘Unsatisfactory’ and 3% as ‘Very Poor’.

In terms of Levels of maintenance, e.g. repairs to street paving and street furniture,

38% rated this as ‘Average’, 43% as ‘Good’, 4% as ‘Unsatisfactory’ and the remaining

4% as ‘Very Poor’. 11% of respondents rated the levels of maintenance as ‘Excellent’.

In terms of Sense of Place, this resulted in a positive response, with 13% of

respondents rating this as ‘Excellent’, 46% of respondents rating this as ‘Good’, 41%

rating this aspect as ‘Average’ and 0% as ‘Unsatisfactory/Very Poor.

Quality of effectiveness of signage is well rated with 58% of respondents rating this

as either ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’, 18% rating this as ‘Average’ and 13% rated this aspect

as ‘Unsatisfactory’.

Quality of the public realm is also rated positively with 62% of respondents rating

this as either ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’, 31% rating it as ‘Average’. However only 4% of

respondents rated quality of public realm as ‘Unsatisfactory/Very Poor and 3% of

responded as ‘Unsure’.

Availability and location of suitable seating areas was rated quite well with 54% of

respondents rating this as either ‘Excellent/Good’, 28% rated this as ‘Average’, 15%

rated this as either ‘Unsatisfactory/Very Poor’ and 3% were ‘Unsure’.

Provision and location of public toilets is rated quite poorly with 64% of respondents

rating this as either ‘Very Poor’ or ‘Unsatisfactory’. 20% of respondents rated this as

‘Average’, 8% as ‘Good’ and 1% as ‘Excellent’. The remaining 7% were ‘Unsure’.


of 33

Effective loading/unloading zones on street had a mixture of responses with 0%

rating this as ‘Excellent’, 21% as ‘Good’, 30% as ‘Average’ 18% as ‘Unsatisfactory’.

11% as ‘Very Poor’ and 19% as ‘Unsure/Don’t know’

When asked ‘What is your normal mode of transport into the city centre?’ 50% of

respondents use private car, 29% use public transport, 10% cycle into the city centre

and 10% walk. When asked how they rate this mode of transport in terms of ease of

access 15% rated ease of access as ‘Excellent’, 28% as ‘Good’, 20% as ‘Average’,

35% as ‘Unsatisfactory/Very Poor’ whilst 1% stated they were ‘Unsure/Don’t know’

Availability of car parking results were quite good with 40% of respondents rating

this as either ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’, 23% as ‘Average’ and 30% as either ‘Unsatisfactory’

or ‘Very Poor’ with the remaining 6% choosing ‘Unsure/Don’t know’

Price of car parking results were quite negative with 55% rating this aspect as either

‘Unsatisfactory’ or ‘Very Poor’, 31% as ‘Average’, 6% as ‘Good’ and 3% as ‘Excellent’.

The remaining 6% were ‘Unsure’.

19% of those surveyed rated the availability of disabled parking bays and disabled

access into the city centre as Good, 11% as ‘Excellent’ and 17% as ‘Average’. 12%

rated this as ‘Unsatisfactory/Very Poor’ and 40% as ‘Unsure/Don’t know’.

Provision of cycles lanes also received a mixed set of results with 34% of

respondents rating this as either ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’ and 26% rating this as ‘Average’.

7% rated this as ‘Unsatisfactory’, 17% as ‘Very Poor’ and 17% as ‘Unsure’.

Rail services frequency also received relatively good feedback with 28% of

respondents rating this as either ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’ , 18% rating this as ‘Average’,

6% rated this as ‘Unsatisfactory’, 1% as ‘Very Poor’ and 46% as ‘Unsure’.

Bus services frequency received positive feedback with 37% of respondents rating

this as either ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’ , 25% rating this as ‘Average’, 8% rating this as

‘Unsatisfactory’, 11% as ‘Very Poor’ and 18% as ‘Unsure’.

61% of respondents rated Provision of clean and pleasant open spaces as either

‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’. 25% rated this as ‘Average’ and 13% of respondents rated this

as either ‘Unsatisfactory’ or ‘Very Poor’.

Availability of location of suitable seating areas were rated quite well with 28%

rating this as ‘Average’ and 40% as ‘Good’. 14% rated it as ‘Unsatisfactory’ and 3%

were ‘Unsure’.

2.1.1 Comments

- Inconsistency of cycle lanes/enforcement required on cycle lanes

- Public transport provision and timetabling

- Increase in on street drug use/issues emanating from drug use


of 33

2.2 Section 2:

Safety and Security

There is a marked difference in the rating of perceptions of safety in the city centre

during the day compared to the evening/night time.

18% rated safety during the day as ‘Extremely high’, 49% rated as ‘Good’ with 26%

rating it as ‘Acceptable’.

24% of respondents rated safety in the evening as ‘Good’, 36% as ‘Acceptable’ and

30% as ‘Extremely low’.

32% of respondents witnessed anti-social behaviour regularly in the city centre with

18% stating they had witnessed anti-social behaviour more frequently.

With regard to levels of street begging 32% reported levels of street begging as being

‘Extremely high’ with 44% of respondents stating they witnessed street begging

‘Regularly’.

PSNI visibility is rated low with 29% of respondents stating that they see the PSNI

‘Rarely’ and 52% stating they are ‘Seen on Occasion’ in the city centre. 15%

responded they are ‘Seen Frequently’.

Lighting levels in the main streets is rated higher than the levels in the side streets.

81% of respondents rating lighting levels in the main streets as either ‘Excellent’ or

‘Good’.

43% of respondents rated lighting levels in the side streets as either ‘Excellent’ or

‘Good’, 23% of respondents rated lighting levels in side streets as ‘Average’ and 31%

as ‘Unsatisfactory/Very Poor’.

2.2.1 Comments

- Increase in drug use, which is visible on street and in business premises

- Increase in street begging

- Increased police visibility required in the evenings


of 33

2.3 Section 3:

Tourism and Events

The results of the tourism and events section were very encouraging with 78% of

respondents stating that the range of visitor attractions were either ‘Excellent’ or

‘Good’.

The quality of visitor attractions were also rated very highly with 31% rating these

as ‘Excellent’ and 50% as ‘Good’.

The provision of tourism/visitor information is also rated highly with 79% of

respondents rating it either ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’.

The quality of places to eat and drink were rated very highly with 92% rating these

as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’.

The quality and diversity of retail stores rated much better with 67% rating them as

‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’, 26% as ‘Average’, 4% as ‘Unsatisfactory’ and the remaining 1%

were unsure.

However, the range of activities/facilities for the various age groups were not rated

as highly. A lower number rated these facilities as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ whilst a larger

percentage selected the ‘Unsure/Don’t know’ facility indicating that perhaps more

advertising needs to be done when such activities are planned.

Responses to the section relating to activities/ facilities for teenagers were quite

mixed with 17% rating these as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’, 26% as ‘Average’, 27% as either

‘Unsatisfactory’ or ‘Poor’ and the remaining 31% as ‘Unsure/Don’t know’.

Activities/facilities for families were rated higher with 8% rating as ‘Excellent’, 33%

rating as ‘Good’, 30% as ‘Average’, 1% as ‘Unsatisfactory’, 4% as ‘Very Poor’ and 21%

as ‘Unsure/Don’t know’.

However, activities/facilities for the elderly were rated much lower with only 4%

rating these as ‘Excellent’, 14% as ‘Good’, 16% as ‘Average’, 8% as ‘Unsatisfactory’,

6% as ‘Very Poor’ and 50% as ‘Unsure’.

32% rated street entertainment provision as ‘Good’, 35% as ‘Average’.13% as

’Unsatisfactory’, 6% as ‘Very Poor’ and the remaining 4% as ‘Unsure’.

The variety of evening activities also fared better with 65% rating this aspect as

‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’, 19% as ‘Average’. 11% as ‘Unsatisfactory’ and the remaining 1%

as ‘Very Poor’.


of 33

2.3.1 Comments

- Provision of events/facilities to consider low income individuals and families

- Sign language interpreters for tourist locations

- On street entertainment requires regulation and also a wider range/offering

across holiday periods.

3. Comparison with March ‘17 Survey

The majority of responses were consistent across the sections with the responses

received in our second Healthcheck and Benchmarking survey. However, there are

a number of areas where opinion has changed, both positively and negatively.

3.1 First Impressions

The results for first impressions show that there remains a number of key areas which

are not performing well. provision of public toilets, price of car parking, availability

of car parking, provision of cycle lanes and bus service frequency are all

predominately rated as being ‘Average’ ,‘Unsatisfactory’ or ‘Very Poor’.

Areas such as price of parking, availability of disabled bays, provision of cycle

lanes, bus service frequency and disabled access into the city centre have

decrease in their rating. However areas such as General atmosphere, Levels of

cleanliness, Quality and effectiveness of signage, Quality of public realm and

Provision of clean and pleasant space have all shown a slight increase in rating.

The highest rated areas where 50%+ of respondents rated them as ‘Excellent’ / ‘Good’

these include levels of cleanliness, quality and effectiveness of signage, quality

of public realm and provision of clean and pleasant open spaces.

On the positive side, the rating of ‘Excellent’ / ‘Good’ for General

atmosphere/ambiance has increased from 61% in March ‘17 to 71% in September’

17.

Levels of cleanliness has increased its rating of ‘Excellent/Good’ from 38% to 51%

in September ‘17.

Levels of maintenance increased from 34% rating as ‘Good’ in March ’17 to 43% in

September ‘17. The rating of ‘Excellent’ also increased from 5% in March to 11% in

September ‘17.

Sense of place has decreased from 54% rating this as ‘Good’ in March to 46% in

September ‘17 as well as a decrease in the numbers rating this element as

‘Unsatisfactory/Very Poor’ from 7% in March ‘17 to 0% in September ‘17.


of 33

There was also an increase in the rating of ‘Excellent/Good’ for quality and

effectiveness of signage from 58% in March to 69% in September ’17.

Opinions rating Quality of public realm as ‘Excellent’ / ‘Good’ have increased 43% in

March to 62% in September ‘17.

Similarly the question relating to the Availability and location of suitable seating

areas has increased its rating of ‘Excellent/Good’ from 42% in March to 54% in

September ‘17.

The rating of Provision and location of public toilets as ‘Excellent’ has increased

marginally from 7% in March to 9% in September ’17. There was also an increase in

the number rating these as ‘Unsatisfactory/Very Poor’, 56% in March to 64% in

September ‘17.

Effective loading and unloading zones has increased from 19% rating this as

‘Excellent/Good’ in March to 21% in September ‘17.

The questions relating to Mode of transport into the city centre reveal that 50%

travel by private car, 29% take public transport, 10% cycle, 10% walk and 1% use taxi.

The response regarding the availability of car parking has increased its

‘Excellent/Good’ rating from 39% in March to 40% in September ‘17. There was also

a decrease in the number of respondents rating this as ‘Unsatisfactory’ decreasing

from 26% to 19% in September ’17. Price of car parking has decreased slightly from

15% rating it as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ to 9% in September ‘17.

Provision of clean and pleasant open spaces has increased its rating of

‘Excellent/Good’ from 14% in 2016 to 56% in 2017.

Availability of disabled car parking bays has decreased its rating of ‘Excellent/Good’

from 42% in March to 30% in September ‘17.

The rating of cycle lanes has seen a decrease in rating from 55% rating this as

‘Excellent/Good’ to 34% in September ’17. There was also an increase in the numbers

rating this as ‘Unsatisfactory/Very Poor’ from 7% in March to 24% in September.

In terms of bus and rail frequency the ratings were similar with 29% rating rail service

frequency as ‘Excellent/Good’ in March and 28% in September ‘17.

The rating of bus service frequency fell from 40% rating this as ‘Excellent/Good’ in

March to 37% in September ‘17. There was a slight decrease in the number of

respondents choosing to rate bus service frequency as ‘Unsatisfactory’, from 14% in

March to 8% in September ‘17.

Disabled access into the city centre has seen a decrease in rating from 56% rating

this as either ‘Excellent/Good’ to 26% in September ’17.


of 33

3.2 Safety and Security

As in the previous section, there are a number of areas of safety and security where

opinion has changed, both positively and negatively.

There is an improvement in the perceptions of Lighting levels in the side streets and

main streets and levels of police visibility. However other areas showed a decrease

in perception rating including Safety levels during the day and night time,

perceptions of anti-social behaviour and levels of street begging.

In terms of perceptions of safety at night, there was a decrease in the number of

respondents rating this as ‘Extremely High’ falling from 22% in March to 18% in

September ’17. Likewise the number of respondents rating this as ‘Good’ decreased

from 49% in March to 40% in September ’17.

Levels of Safety at night also saw a reduction in numbers rating this as

‘Good/Acceptable’ falling from 69% in March to 60% in September ’17. The numbers

of respondents rating this as ‘Extremely low’ also increased from 20% in March ’17 to

30% in September.

In terms of opinions on the perception of anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the city centre

there was a slight improvement with a decrease in the number of respondents stating

that they witness ASB rarely, decreasing from 20% in March to 18% in September ‘17.

There was a decrease in the numbers stating that they witness ASB regularly, falling

from 34% in March to 32% in September ‘17. However there was an increase in the

number of respondents stating that they witness instances of ASB more frequently,

increasing from 12% in March to 18% in September ’17.

The question ‘How would you rate the levels of street begging in the city centre?’

received a mix bag of responses. Respondents stated that they witness begging

occasionally have increased from 14% in March to 18% in September ‘17. The number

of respondents stating that the levels of ASB were ‘Extremely high’ decreased from

42% in March to 32% in September ’17. However there was a slight increase in

the numbers reporting that the level of street begging is low and well controlled,

increasing from 1% in March to 6% in September ’17.

There were also positive results for the question relating to rating police visibility.

The numbers stating that they see the police frequently remains the same at 15%.

Similarly the numbers reporting that the levels of police visibility as ‘Seen on occasion’

remain at 50% in March and 52% in September ’17.

There were similar results for the perception of levels of lighting in the main streets.

There was a huge increase in the numbers reporting that levels were ‘Excellent/Good’

increasing from 65% in March to 81% in September ’17. There was also a decrease in

the number of respondents stating that the lighting levels in main streets were

‘Average’ falling from 30% in March to 11% in September ’17.

There were also similar results for perception of lighting levels in side streets.

Ratings of ‘Excellent/Good’ increased from 23% in March to 43% in September ’17.

23% of respondents in September rated lighting in the side streets as ‘Average’ which

is a decrease from 47% in March. There was also an increase in the number of


of 33

respondents rating lighting in side streets as ‘Unsatisfactory’ from 20% in March to

23% in September ’17.

3.3 Tourism and Events

The majority of results in this section saw positive increases in opinions.

A number of aspects were rated exceptionally highly in the March survey and it is

positive to note that this trend continued in the September survey. Areas which are

rated exceptionally highly as ‘Excellent’ / ‘Good’ by 80%+ of respondents include range

of visitor attractions, quality of visitor attractions and quality of places to eat and

drink.

There was a slight decrease in the number of respondents who rated the range of

visitor attractions as ‘Excellent’ / ‘Good’, 82% in March decreasing to 81% in

September ‘17.

There is also an increase in the number of respondents rating the quality of visitor

attractions as ‘Excellent’ / ‘Good’, increasing from 82% in March to 84% in September

‘17.

There was also an increase in the number of respondents rating tourism/visitor

information as ‘Excellent/Good’ increasing from 73% in March to 79% in September

‘17.

The quality of places to eat and drink continues to be rated highly as ‘Excellent’ /

‘Good’, however there was a slight decrease from the previous survey with 95% rating

this as ‘Excellent/Good’ to 92% in the September ’17 survey.

The opinion on the quality and diversity of retail stores being ‘Excellent’ / ‘Good’

remains a similar figure with 67% rating this as ‘Excellent/Good’ in March and 64%

rating the same question in September ’17.

Activities / facilities for teenagers saw a decrease in the number of respondents

rating these as ‘Excellent’ / ‘Good’, decreasing from 23% in March to 17% in

September. Conversely, there is an increase in the number of respondents rating

these as ‘Unsatisfactory’ / ‘Very Poor’, increasing from 19% in March to 27% in

September. 23% of respondents were ‘Unsure’ / ‘Don’t know’ in the March survey,

which increased to 31% in the September survey.

Activities / facilities for families saw a slight decrease on the number of respondents

rating these as ‘Excellent’ / ‘Good’, decreasing from 9% in March to 8% in September

‘17. The other results were are all similar to the previous survey which shows a level

of consistency in terms of opinion.

Activities / facilities for the elderly also received very similar results to the March

survey with a slight increase in the number of respondents rating these as ‘Good’ from

11% to 14% in September ‘17. The number of respondents rating these as ‘Average’

decreased from 24% to 16% in September.


of 33

There is a marginal increase in the number of respondents rating the street

entertainment provision as ‘Excellent’ / ‘Good’, increasing from 30% in March to

32% in September ‘17. There is a slight increase in the number of respondents rating

this aspect as ‘Unsatisfactory’ / ‘Very Poor’, increasing from 13% in March to 19% in

September ’17.

There is similar results in the number of respondents rating the quality and diversity

of evening activities as ‘Excellent’ / ‘Good’, maintaining a high rating of 68% in

September ’17 compared to 70% in March ‘17.

4. Recommendations


It is encouraging to note a number of areas were rated highly (60%+) as ‘Excellent’ /

‘Good’ by respondents in relation to ‘Public Space’ questions.

Other improvements in ratings have been recorded for general atmosphere, levels

of cleanliness, levels of maintenance, quality and effectiveness of signage,

quality of public realm, provision of clean and pleasant open space, availability

and location of suitable seating areas and availability of car parking.

Improved ratings in general atmosphere/ambiance show that there is an increased

confidence in the city centre.

Improved ratings for cleanliness is an excellent indicator of how the perception of the

city has improved. Levels of maintenance was another area which seen an

improvement in perception in comparison to the previous survey. Currently there are

two Business Improvement Districts in operation in the city centre, Belfast One BID

and Destination Cathedral Quarter. Both BIDs are addressing issues related to

cleansing and maintenance to the statutory authorities. This increase in reporting has

meant that problems are being addressed more efficiently.

Quality of the public realm and provision of clean and pleasant open space also

received higher response levels than the previous survey. The perception on the

aesthetics of the city centre across a number of different areas have greatly improved.

BCCM continue to have good relationships with Belfast City Council cleansing

department, Adshel, Department for Communities and Department for Infrastructure.

BCCM continue to report through to these agencies on a weekly basis. Belfast One

BID have also appointed a city centre cleansing team who operate across the weekend

when footfall is at its highest to ensure the city centre remains clean and attractive.

The cleansing team focus on areas which fall between ownership, e.g alcoves and

alleyways and thus not duplicating the work of the Belfast City Council.

BCCM also promote the location and costs of city centre car parks on the website.

Through this the 5 cheapest car parks in the city centre are also promoted. This is also

used by other agencies during events and is circulated with their promotional material.

However, there are a number of areas which did not perform as well as the previous

survey. Ratings of the provision of public toilets, price of car parking, provision


of 33

of cycle lanes and bus service frequency all showed a decrease from the previous

survey.

The provision of public toilets continues to be a perception problem as does the price

of car parking. BCCM will continue to promote the public toilet provision on the website

and any relevant printed material.

Comments also included the problem related to the inconsistency of cycle

infrastructure and lack of enforcement, issue with public transport provision and

timetabling and an increase in the instances of on street drug use and issues

emanating from this.

Response in this survey highlighted the problem with public transport including the

reduced provision on bank holidays and missed services. BCCM have highlighted

these findings to Translink. The Belfast Rapid Transit scheme is due to be launched

in 2018 with enabling works ongoing in the city centre at the moment. This will go a

long way to address access issues in the city centre.

BCCM are working closely with the PSNI and other agencies to tackle the increasing

problems of on street drinking/drug taking and begging which is obvious in the city

centre.


The increase in perceptions of lighting levels in the side streets, lighting levels in

the main streets and levels of police visibility are reassuring. Being the regional

capital, it is important that workers, shoppers and visitors feel safe in the city centre.

BCCM report lighting issues directly to the Department for Infrastructure through the ni

direct website and also through to DfI staff. BCCM have also requested areas to be

inspected to ensure that they meet the British Standard for lighting where businesses

have lighted an issue with levels.

There were decreases in the perception levels of safety in the day time, levels of

safety at night-time, perception of anti-social behaviour levels and levels of street

begging.

A number of comments referred to the increase in the instances of I.V drug use which

happens openly in the city as well as the presence of those under the influence of

alcohol and substance abusers. Those that commented feel that these instances are

becoming more out of control and are preventing the city reaching its full potential.

BCCM manage the City Centre Beat Police scheme which is two dedicated officers for

the city centre dealing with anti-social behaviour. The CCB officers also work with

representatives from Extern to address the drug issue within the city centre. BCCM

continue to work alongside other agencies to tackle the problem.

BCCM continue to co-ordinate sharps training for business with Belfast City Council’s

Community Safety Partnership.


of 33


Belfast continues to perform well in terms of tourism and events with a number of areas

rated highly (70%+) as ‘Excellent’ \ ‘Good’ by respondents, these include, quality of

visitor attractions, quality and diversity of retail stores, quality of places to eat

and drink and street entertainment.

Events over this survey period included Belfast Pride, Summer Twilight market, August

Feile, UEFA Womens U19 football and the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

New businesses opening in this survey period included Revolution de Cuba, Lisa’s

Attic and Rose and Brimstone.

Three areas that recorded a decrease in perceptions are activities/facilities for

families, activities/facilities for teenagers and range of visitor attractions.

BCCM will continue to promote the events listing which focuses on family orientated

events which will create high levels of footfall.

Comments included the requirement for facilities to include provision for low income

families. Belfast One have held free family walking tours in the city centre on a Sunday

morning. There have also been other free family orientated events including the Easter

Egg hunt for kids.

Other comments included the requirement to regulate buskers in the city centre.

BCCM will continue to with with CCB to address the BCC by laws in relation to street

busking. The CCB officers have forwarded a report to BCC proposing that they adopt

similar by laws as those in Dublin which requires performers to meet certain criteria

and pay a fee to be licensed in a designated spot. The PSNI are awaiting a response

to this proposal.

There was also a comment relating to the need to include sign language interpreters

at our visitor attractions and better coordination in relation to retail opening hours

across the city to address customer confusion and disappointment.

BCCM continues to liaise with BCC, Visit Belfast and other companies and agencies

to promote events and activities in the city centre.

BCCM will continue to be represented on BCC’s Events Advisory Panel to ensure

disruption to the business community is mitigated during major events. Any emerging

issues are raised at the Economic Performance action group.


of 33

5. Analysis of Survey Results


Question 1 : Are you a; Member of the Public/Business or Stakeholder?

Question 2 : General atmosphere/ambiance


of 33

Question 3 : Levels of cleanliness

Question 4 : Levels of maintenance e.g. repairs to pavement/street furniture


of 33

Question 5 : Sense of place (urban quality/distinctiveness)

Question 6 : Quality and effectiveness of signage


of 33

Question 7 : Quality of public realm

Question 8 : Availability and location of suitable seating areas


of 33

Question 9 : Provision and locations of public toilets

Question 10 : Effective loading/unloading zones on street


of 33

Question 11 : What is your normal mode of transport into the city centre?

Question 12 : How would you rate ease of access using this mode of transport?


of 33

Question 13 : Availability of car parking

Question 14 : Price of car parking


of 33

Question 15 : Availability of disabled car parking bays and disabled access into the city centre

Question 16 : Provision of cycle lanes


of 33

Question 17 : Rail service Frequency

Question 18 : Bus service frequency


of 33

Question 19 : Provision of clean and pleasant open spaces

Question 20 : Disabled access in the city centre


of 33


Question 22 : What is your perception of levels of safety during the day?

Question 23 : What is your perception of levels of safety at night?


of 33

Question 24 : What is your perception of levels of anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the city centre,

e.g. on street drinking, graffiti, vandalism?

Question 25 : How would you rate the levels of street begging within the city centre?


of 33

Question 26 : How would you rate the level of police visibility?

Question 27 : Lighting levels in main streets


of 33

Question 28 : Lighting levels in side streets


Question 30 : Range of visitor attractions e.g. Titanic Belfast/City Hall/St George's Market


of 33

Question 31 : Quality of visitor attractions

Question 32 : Tourism/visitor information


of 33

Question 33 : Quality of places to eat and drink

Question 34 : Quality and diversity of retail stores


of 33

Question 35 : Activities/facilities for teenagers e.g. creative workshops/non alcoholic under 18

offering/cinema/parks

Question 36 : Activities/facilities for families e.g. children’s workshops/parades and events/on

street entertainment


of 33

Question 37 : Activities/facilities for the elderly e.g. tea dances/lunches/pensioner offers

Question 38 : Street entertainment provision


of 33

Question 39 : Variety of evening activities e.g. theatre/galleries/cinema/late night

shopping/cultural events/pubs and clubs

Healthcheck & Benchmarking Survey September ‘17 · questionnaire and set up a comprehensive...

Documents

Transcript of Healthcheck & Benchmarking Survey September ‘17 · questionnaire and set up a comprehensive...