Why we’re building again after 25 years

For the first time in 25 years, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive has started work on a brand-new housing development. In this exclusive piece, chief executive Grainia Long explains why the move is so significant. 

The delivery of six new homes at Sunningdale Gardens, north Belfast, is a significant moment for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. My colleagues and I are counting down the weeks before we hand over the keys to new family homes for the first time in 25 years. 

We are not just building new homes for our tenants for the first time in a generation, though. We are building future-proofed homes that will be constructed to a standard beyond that of current building regulations in Northern Ireland. 

For one, the homes will be built using modern methods of construction, which will allow us to deliver much-needed homes within a faster timeframe and to a higher level of fabric performance, while exploring ways to drive down cost when compared with traditional construction methods. 

Sunningdale Gardens is an opportunity for us to investigate how we can scale up this type of construction, how we can drive better value, how we can work better with our construction partners, and how we can deliver more energy-efficient homes. 

Without our excellent relations with the local residents’ groups, this scheme would not have got off the ground

Making sure our tenants have homes that are safe, warm, and dry is always our priority, and this pilot pairs that with our commitment to reaching net zero. The ultra-low energy building methods being used to construct these houses will mean our tenants benefit from improved energy efficiency and a reduction in carbon emissions, lower heating bills, savings from reduced fuel costs, and more comfortable homes. 

This pilot enables us to innovate, and that is exactly what we are doing. We look forward to measuring its progress over the coming months. 

Building the future together 

It goes without saying that partnership-working has helped us reach this point. It has taken considerable work between us and the Department for Communities to design the pilot scheme, and we look forward to working alongside GEDA, our construction partner, as we continue. 

We’ve collaborated with more than just our business partners, however. As every housing professional knows, central to the success of any development is collaboration with the local community. Without our excellent relations with the local residents’ groups, this scheme would not have got off the ground – so we are really thankful for their support. 

It is important for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, as the strategic housing authority for Northern Ireland, to influence the future of social housing and reimagine what estates and housing developments could look like. It’s because of this that we are very excited to see work begin on these modern homes, which we hope will provide a blueprint for the future of social housing in Northern Ireland and beyond. 

This pilot is just a stepping stone, though. We aim to go beyond this scheme and, as the public housing authority, add to new supply so that we can better address social housing need. 

This pilot will also give us the opportunity to explore the practicalities of returning to building homes as part of the revitalisation of our organisation. 

We are keen for work to begin.