One of Northern Ireland’s biggest house builders says it’s expanding into the Republic and GB amid ongoing planning and development delays here, Ulster Business can reveal.
Lagan Homes – which is finishing off the construction of its large 700-house development at Millmount outside Dundonald – says it’s been waiting for the planning green light for a straightforward ‘change of house’ application, despite it being for the same number of properties and having no objections.
“I’m waiting on a planning application for a change of house type – the same number of houses and no objections. It’s taken two years,” Conor Mulligan, managing director of Lagan Homes, said.
“When you’re in the boardroom and I’m telling people it’s taking two years for a change of house type, when the guys down south are getting planning approvals in six months – where do you put your money?
“It’s also the availability of land. This site here [Millmount] will have 600-700 houses. There will never be another site like this.
“We hope to do £70m [in the Republic] this year. That’s from a standing start five years ago – so incredible growth,” he said.
“That’s down to the market, which is strong, but the ability to get planning permission and the availability of land.
“We have to expand. We are doing as much in GB as we are doing here [Northern Ireland],” he said.
Read the full interview in the August Top 100 Northern Ireland Companies edition of Ulster Business