CIH welcomes minister’s plans to deliver 100,000 homes

Earlier today (8 December 2021) minister for communities Deirdre Hargey set out her plans to deliver more than 100,000 homes in Northern Ireland over the next 15 years.

Commenting on her draft housing supply strategy Justin Cartwright, Chartered Institute of Housing national director for Northern Ireland said:

“Today’s plans are both sound and ambitious, aiming for just over 2,200 social homes to be built each year. We are building a long-term average of closer to 1,500, but the Housing Executive has said a minimum of 2,000 are needed to significantly tackle the waiting list. And the need for social housing has only increased further because of the pandemic.

“It will take a collective effort across all departments to reach 2,200 social homes each year. The minister’s strategy is high level enough that it should secure vital buy in from the Northern Ireland Executive. This will play an important part in getting everyone working together to ensure more people can access a home that is affordable and right for their needs.

“It is also welcome to see decarbonisation as a specific objective of today’s plans. The work needed to achieve net-zero emissions in housing is considerable. A heat and buildings strategy and a new, specific fund for the retrofit of social housing are natural next steps to achieve this.”