Calls have been made for the appointment of an “empty homes officer” in Belfast to tackle the thousands of families on the housing waiting list.
A motion is to be discussed tonight to deal with households on the waiting list in the city, with around 48,000 in Northern Ireland awaiting housing.
It’s being proposed that the council develops a new strategy, alongside the Department for Communities (DfC), the Housing Executive, and other bodies, to “ensure there is a co-ordinated action plan to bring disused homes into public use”.
The motion is being proposed by People Before Profits councillor Michael Collins, and has been seconded by Áine Groogan of the Green Party.
“The council will seek to establish an empty homes partnership, similar to the Scottish model, which will coordinate these efforts with the relevant bodies,” the motion says.
“The motion calls upon the council to undertake a number of actions in relation to empty homes, including developing a strategy, establishing a partnership and appointing an ‘empty homes officer’ – the strategic policy and resources committee is responsible for strategic policy, working with partners to lead on the Belfast Agenda and also agreeing the local development plan. The motion will therefore be referred to that committee.”
It adds that it “notes with concern the growing number of households (48,000) on the housing waiting list”.
“The council also notes with concern that despite the huge demand for public housing, there remains a substantial number of homes in Belfast which are empty.
“According to Land and Property, this figure sits at 3,694 for the Belfast area. As a local authority, the council commits to working with the relevant departments to try to bring empty homes back into use as affordable and social housing. Council notes that the DfC empty homes strategy, which aimed to do this, ended in 2018.
“This action plan will be funded and appropriate measures such as an empty homes rates premium, strengthened compulsory purchase powers and financing support for converting empty homes into social housing are brought forward to ensure it is able to be delivered.”
It says it wants to seek funding from DfC to appoint an ‘empty homes officer’ to “liaise directly with the owners of empty homes, to understand why the home is empty, and to offer tailored solutions to turn it into a home again”.
Housing associations here are calling for more properties to be built.
“Delivering 1,403 new social homes this year – despite the barriers faced – has been positive, but that is simply not enough,” Seamus Leheny, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations said.
He added that housing associations have “charted uncertain waters these past 12 months due to a combination of inflationary pressures and the continuing strain on government budgets”.
“This situation has not only impacted the Social Housing Development Programme funding, but also the capital funding required for vital infrastructure such as water and sewage that is critical for new build developments.”