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Affordable housing plan outlined Plan to tackle 'housing crisis'
(about 2 hours later)
Major plans for the creation of affordable housing in Northern Ireland are due to be announced later. A new housing agenda for Northern Ireland has been announced by Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie.
The package of measures will be outlined in the assembly by Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie. In a statement to the Assembly, she outlined a series of new measures to tackle the housing crisis.
Ms Ritchie said she intended the measures to aid thousands of people priced out of the property market. The plans include more social houses, the first eco village for Northern Ireland and more mixed religion areas.
The scheme will have implications for developers, the Housing Executive and a government co-ownership scheme which helps people onto the property ladder. Ms Ritchie said the plans "will start to immediately address the affordability crisis of today and the lack of social housing for tomorrow".
The minister will reveal her plans to MLAs on Tuesday. There are currently 38,000 people waiting for social housing in Northern Ireland.
This means greater efficiency and cost savings, enhanced quality of life and a healthier local and global environmental Tom McClellandRICS To tackle the problems the social development department have reviewed a number of studies, including the recommendations of an independent report by the former head of the Civil Service, Sir John Semple.
In recent months her department has been reviewing a number of studies including the recommendations of an independent report by the former head of the Civil Service, Sir John Semple. Housing plans
  • Build     more homes- at least 5,250 in the next three years
  • Make     the existing co-ownership scheme more attractive for first time buyers
  • Introduce     a not-for-profit Mortgage Rescue Scheme
  • Allow     existing social housing tenants the chance to buy a stake in their homes
  • Re-use     houses through an Empty Homes Strategy
  • Requiring     future developments to include a proportion of homes for social and affordable housing
  • Increase     the energy efficiency of new social houses.
    He has called for 10,000 new homes to be provided for low income groups. Ms Ritchie is proposing the first eco-village in Northern Ireland, which will be built on the former Grosvenor Barracks Military Base in Enniskillen.
    The minister is also expected to announce plans for more integrated housing. A total of 500 mixed tennure homes are to be built on the site.
    'Particular approach' 'Unfit housing'
    Paddy McIntyre from the Housing Executive said there was a need for more cross-community developments. The Minister also announced a £7m start for the Village area of Belfast, after recent protests over unfit housing.
    "We have been gradually promoting shared future housing over this past two or three years," he said. "The people of the Village have had to endure sub-standard housing for too long now.
    "We have a lot of existing estates where there are still high levels of segregation and we have secured IFI funding, along with a range of other partners, to try and introduce the shared future concept to existing estates. "I gave them my word that I would not forget them and now that my budget has been finalised I am delighted to have been able to set aside substantial resources for work to begin in the area", she said.
    "The target is that over three years we will have something like 30 estates around the province signed up to that particular approach." Earlier today, Tom McClelland of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said greater emphasis had to be placed on the creation of shared housing schemes.
    Tom McClelland of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said greater emphasis had to be placed on the creation of shared housing schemes and shared spaces in communities.
    "Shared communities are sustainable communities. This means greater efficiency and cost savings, enhanced quality of life and a healthier local and global environmental," he said."Shared communities are sustainable communities. This means greater efficiency and cost savings, enhanced quality of life and a healthier local and global environmental," he said.
    The new plans will have implications for developers, the Housing Executive and people trying to get onto the property ladder.