A RADICAL set of measures to tackle the housing waiting list in Northern Ireland, including the creation of an "eco-village", was announced in the Assembly yesterday by the North's Minister for Social Development, Margaret Ritchie.
Ms Ritchie launched a plan to build at least 5,250 new houses in the next three years as part of the strategy of reducing the current waiting list of 38,000. Of these, 21,000 people are described as being in "housing stress" and more than 9,000 are described as "homeless" - ie, staying with groups such as Simon or compelled to share crowded homes.
The SDLP Minister is also proposing to introduce a new requirement for all developers that about 20 per cent of their private schemes must be dedicated to social and affordable housing.
If a developer is reluctant to build such houses in affluent areas, she is proposing that an equivalent financial sum be provided to have houses built elsewhere.
Ms Ritchie said this scheme worked well in London and in the Republic, where last year 2,000 homes were provided through developer contribution.
"It is estimated that we could, in time, secure many hundreds, if not thousands, of additional affordable homes through a similar contribution," she said.
Ms Ritchie said she would promote the creation of more integrated public housing.
This would include "shared future" requirements, where people would have to agree not to display republican or loyalist flags and emblems and refrain from painting kerbing green, white and orange, or red, white and blue.
The Minister said she was undertaking a £40 million regeneration project on the site of the former British army Grosvenor Barracks military base in Enniskillen. This will involve the first eco-village in Northern Ireland with 350 new homes "to solve the social housing crisis in Enniskillen for the next five years".
A quarter of the North's housing stock comprises public housing, with 85,000 provided by the North's Housing Executive and 30,000 provided by 38 housing associations. Hitherto, the associations received departmental funding to meet 80 per cent of their financial requirements, the remainder raised from banks or elsewhere in the private sector.
Ms Ritchie said she was reducing funding to 70 per cent - which would free up £15 million to build up to 150 new homes - but also establishing four procurement groups for the 38 associations so that in this streamlined fashion they would have more "clout" in raising private funding. "Savings can be made through economies of scale," she said.
The Minister further said she was proposing a "carrot and stick" approach with DUP Environment Minister Arlene Foster to tackle the issue of the 4,000 empty homes in Northern Ireland.
