Social housing waiting lists in Northern Ireland are at a record high with thousands of people and families waiting to move into a new home.
At the end of last year, The Housing Supply Strategy was published which highlighted the urgent need for the creation of new social housing, with a target of 33,000 new homes being set for the next 15 years.
Housing Associations will be leading the way with the creation of new social housing, with the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations saying that even more homes are needed to meet demand.
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Seamus Leheny, Chief Executive of NIFHA, welcomed publication of the strategy: “The Housing Supply Strategy is key to tackling the growing crisis we are facing in housing, particularly social housing. Delivering 33,000 new social homes over the next 15 years is an ambitious target, and Housing Associations are ready to play their part. When we look at current housing need and lower construction numbers in recent years, there is a strong argument to raise the numbers further to bring even more than 2,200 new homes every year.
“Realising the target represents a test of joined up Government. We want to see how this ambition is matched both with NI Executive financial investment and the bringing forward of solutions to the complementary issues of planning and wastewater infrastructure. Recent budgets have been significantly below where we need to be but there is clearly a focus in this strategy to address this.
“It is particularly welcome to see a commitment to retrofitting and ensuring that building standards are high, which will bring benefits to tenants through energy bill savings. This will, however, require significant additional spend and we would like to see how a Housing Decarbonisation Fund, as they have in England, Wales, Scotland and Republic of Ireland, can support this change.”
Below are five large social housing developments in Northern Ireland that are due to be completed in 2025.
Craigmore View, Newry - 255 units
The Craigmore Way development in Newry by Apex Housing Association is due to be completed in 2025 and will see the creation of 255 new properties.
The development will consist of 49 apartments and 206 houses with associated amenity space, car parking, landscaping and open spaces.
Apex Housing has said that the properties will be built to “Lifetime Home and Secured by Design standards” and each will have double glazed windows, gas heating and self-contained gardens.
The development is adjacent to the Fiveways Service Station and Damolly Retail Park, with Newry Train Station and Daisy Hill Hospital being a short distance away.
Black’s Gate, Belfast - 196 units
The Black’s Gate development by Radius Housing Association will see the creation of 244 new homes, with 196 of these being earmarked for social housing and the remainder will be affordable housing.
It will be located on the former Visteon car manufacturing site on lands adjoining the M1 southbound motorway between Blacks Road and Finaghy Road North.
The development will consist of a mix of apartments, family homes and wheel-chair accessible properties that have been purpose built for applicants.
Mincora Drive, Carrickfergus
The Choice Housing development at Mincora Drive in Carrickfergus is due to be completed in March of this year and will consist of 146 new properties for over 500 people.
It is located to the North-West of Carrickfergus Town Centre and will be based on the site of the former Courtaulds textiles factory site.
The development will consist of 2,3- and 4-bedroom houses with a number of these properties to be wheelchair accessible.
Choice Group Chief Executive, Michael McDonnell said: “The population of Carrickfergus is growing and with it comes increasing demand for housing and other amenities to support this growth. This new development is forming part of this plan and the road infrastructure surrounding the development will be a vital element.
“There has been significant investment in the Mid and East Antrim area, this latest investment of £20m further demonstrates our commitment to addressing the growing need for quality affordable housing in Carrickfergus”.
Ballinderry Road, Lisburn - 120 units
The Apex Housing Development off Ballinderry Road in Lisburn is due to be completed in 2025/26 and will see the creation of 120 new homes.
It will consist of 90 two- and three-bedroom dwellings; 6 complex needs bungalows; 8 two-person apartments with own door access and 9 three-person over-55s apartments. As part of the development, there will also be 7 two- and three-bedroom affordable homes.
After the development was granted planning permission, Barry Kerr, Apex’s Director of Development, commented:
“We’re delighted that our proposals to build 120 new homes on the Ballinderry Road have been approved. We’ve worked closely with the planning team in the council alongside local stakeholders to inform and guide the proposals through the consultation process and it’s great to see this hard work bear fruit.
“During the consultation process, we reached out to gather the views of as many local residents and stakeholders as possible with hundreds of visits to the consultation website over the course of the pre-application community consultation process.
“At Apex, we constantly strive to provide the best quality housing solutions throughout our proposals, and we believe we have achieved that with our approved plans for lands at Ballinderry.”
Gasworks Belfast - 94 units
The Radius Housing development at the Gasworks in the Market area of South Belfast is due to be completed later this year and will see the creation of 94 new homes.
This will consist of 60 houses and 34 apartments and includes a mix of 2, 3, and 4 bedroomed homes.
It will be located on lands adjacent to Stewart Street and Raphael Street, Belfast, and linking through to the existing Gasworks site.
The Gasworks Northern Fringe remains the only undeveloped section of the Gasworks area and represents the final opportunity to deliver meaningful regeneration in the area.
The development is scheduled to be completed in August 2025.
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