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Ben CollinsMixed-tenure housing can provide social and economic benefits in Northern Ireland
A new report looks at the potential of mixed-tenure development to foster social integration in Northern Ireland. Ben Collins explains more
The Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations (NIFHA) and the Department for Communities launched a draft report entitled Mainstreaming Mixed-Tenure in Northern Ireland – the way forward for developing homes? at NIFHA’s development and asset management conference in Belfast on 14 June.
The report reflects the draft Programme for Government’s recognition that housing is a key enabler to delivering improved well-being and driving economic growth, and that mixed-tenure development has the potential to help maximise the delivery of these benefits for all sections of society.
While mixed-tenure can refer to a blend of tenure types such as private rental, social rental and owner-occupier, this report looks at it in a broader sense, including factors such as social, economic and community background.
“Communities are often more mixed in areas where private housing predominates.”
This is particularly important in Northern Ireland, where 90% of social housing estates are both mono-tenure and single identity – either predominantly catholic or predominantly protestant.
Stephen Martin, deputy director of housing supply, policy and delivery at the Department for Communities, highlighted this when launching the report. He said: “This settlement pattern embeds division and creates a range of social challenges which add costs and complexity to the delivery of public services, including education, community services and policing – costs borne by all of us as taxpayers and citizens.”
In contrast, according to the last census, communities are often more mixed in areas where private housing predominates.
It is thought that mixed-tenure housing could play a role in supporting the community relations strategy, Together: Building a United Community, launched by The Executive Office in 2013, by building more shared communities.
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With that in mind, the Department for Communities bought St Patrick’s Barracks, a former Army base, in Ballymena in 2015.
The site will be developed in partnership with Radius Housing Association, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and others, as a mixed-tenure scheme with 200 new social and private homes.
As well as helping to foster social integration, mixed-tenure development also could offer a solution to some of the housing challenges we face as an ageing society.
Traditional developments – with just one or two types of houses – do not offer older people the option of downsizing in their own neighbourhoods.
Mixed-tenure schemes, on the other hand, by providing a diverse range of options, mean that older people can remain in the same community where they raised their families.
“Traditional developments do not offer older people the option of downsizing”
In addition, mixed-tenure development can help regenerate town and city centres blighted by the recent decline in the retail sector.
At our conference, Stephen Martin described how a former Pirelli tyre factory in Wales has been transformed into a mixed-tenure village that brings the countryside into the heart of Newport. The scheme, Loftus Garden Village, was named Best New Development at the Welsh Housing Awards.
Carol McTaggart, group director of development at Clanmil Housing, said there is “an appetite and an ambition” among housing associations in Northern Ireland to do more mixed-tenure, mixed use schemes as a follow-on to those schemes already delivered using Financial Transactions Capital and leveraging private funding in addition to Housing Association Grant to fund the projects.
Clanmil has embarked on a programme of purchasing empty stock and bringing them back into use as well as exploring the provision of residential accommodation above shops. Successful cities include well designed residential accommodation and Clanmil is exploring city centre living with Belfast City Council to include mixed-tenure, shared future housing.
Stressing the importance of well-designed mixed-tenure schemes for city centres, Ms McTaggart commented that revitalising existing retail outlets would “remove blight and protect our heritage for our future generations”.
Gareth Davies, director of development at Coastal Housing in Wales, delivered a presentation on how mixed-tenure development helped revive a run-down area in Swansea.
“Successful cities include well-designed residential accommodation.”
He said working in partnership with both Pobl Group and local government on mixed-tenure projects allows Coastal to secure larger sites and deliver more housing where it is needed most. Coastal also helps create jobs through its mixed-tenure schemes.
It does this by partnering with universities to focus on emerging graduates – providing space for them to start businesses and quality, affordable accommodation for them to stay living in the city centre. This is something, the conference heard, which could be emulated in Belfast.
The draft report, a ‘think piece’ intended to “stimulate discussion and inform future Government policy” is the culmination of 18 months’ work involving the Department for Communities, NIFHA, four Northern Ireland housing associations – Apex, Choice, Clanmil and Radius – and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the National House Building Council.
In addition to reviewing current research and looking at mixed-tenure schemes here in Northern Ireland, a study visit was also undertaken to Yorkshire to visit mixed-tenure schemes developed by Yorkshire Housing and Wakefield and District Housing.
