41 NIHE void houses in East Londonderry

Despite this Housing Minister Nelson McCausland said he was determined to bring more empty houses into use in the East Londonderry area. He said it was imperative we make the best use of the resources available in doing this.

Addressing Stormont recently he stated: “I am determined to bring more empty homes back into use. For example, there are 41 Housing Executive voids in the Limavady and Coleraine district office areas at this time.

“Nineteen of those are undergoing major repairs and will be brought back into use once those are complete. In Limavady, another 13 properties, which were previously difficult to let, have been offered to and accepted by applicants on the waiting list.

“That leaves fewer than 10 properties in the area for which the Housing Executive has not yet been able to identify applicants.”

He said that notwithstanding his recent appointment as Housing boss he has already “emphasised to officials the priority that we need to give to tackling the issue of voids or empty homes.”

“It seems pointless to be developing additional social housing, if, at the same time, you are ignoring the fact that there is stock that, in some cases, becomes void, derelict and a blight on neighbouring properties,” he said.

“In one of the areas that I visited in the constituency the other day, there were around 15 void properties. They had been lying empty for more than 10 years and were under the ownership of a housing association. What can we do to get those and other houses back into use as soon as possible?” he asked.

During the same debate he also spoke of the success of a multi-development pilot scheme in the Creggan area of Londonderry where residents voted overwhelmingly for the transfer of homes from NIHE to a local housing association and where a £2.5m improvement scheme is currently ongoing.

“On my recent visit to Londonderry, I was interested to see the pilot scheme in the Creggan. Residents there voted overwhelmingly to transfer from the Housing Executive to a housing association,” he said.

“The housing association will spend approximately £2.5 million of its own money carrying out multi-element improvements to the homes in question. That is a significant development, and I want to see what potential it may have for other areas,” he added.