Housing development back on the agenda

New build targets have been a key element of the Northern Ireland Executive as set out in its Programmes for Government and in the current programme. And for the first time in 46 years, local councils now have the power to make planning decisions and, under the 2011 Northern Ireland Planning Act, are charged with having local development plans to include housing.

Over the past decade, social housing delivery targets, set through each Programme for Government, have been consistently met through a strong partnership between the Department for Communities, the Housing Executive and housing associations delivering 15,000 homes.

While there is a commitment by government to continue plans for new build – the target up to 2020 is for 8,000 new social housing units and at least 2,800 new affordable homes – the sector is finding it increasingly difficult to identify and acquire sites for development in areas of acute social housing need. Latest figures show that 23,694 of those on the waiting list are in housing stress, an increase of 1,000 households from last year.

We are also finding a marked decrease in the numbers of relets as our tenants are remaining in their homes for longer. The Housing Executive feels the time is now right to explore the possibility of the Housing Executive once again building new homes where this involves the redevelopment or regeneration of stock in our estates. Not only to deal with growing housing need, but also to ensure that our homes are kept up to standard.

“Following a policy review in 1997, the new build programme was transferred to housing associations and our last new properties were completed in 2002/03.”

When the Housing Executive was set up in 1971 it inherited the significant redevelopment and new build programmes of its predecessor housing authorities. Over the next 30 years we delivered nearly 79,000 new homes. However, following a policy review in 1997, the new build programme was transferred to housing associations and our last new properties were completed in 2002/03. Since then housing associations have been solely responsible for providing new social housing right across Northern Ireland.

A major element of our new asset management strategy is a programme of strategic appraisals for stock whose future sustainability is uncertain due to various combinations of high investment needs, low demand and outmoded accommodation.

The answer in many cases will likely be replacing this stock with new housing that better meets the needs of residents and communities. Not only would this allow continuity in terms of estate management, but we also believe that for asset management reasons there is a compelling case to allow us to replace these poorly performing liabilities with new properties.

We already own the land and in most cases the services infrastructure will still be in place. We are also investigating examples of modern methods of construction for housing in Northern Ireland and across the rest of the UK to determine whether these could offer the cost efficiencies and, just as importantly, the quality that would help to make a new in-house building programme viable.

However, we acknowledge that we will have to demonstrate that this represents value for money and that any new build programme by the Housing Executive would be delivered to those in most need. We believe that we can do so.

Clark Bailie, chief executive, Northern Ireland Housing Executive