Minister ‘appalled’ at state of repair of some homes in Doury Road

Last December Paisley personally brought certain private landlords who own properties on the estate to Stormont to meet with the Minister so they could discuss their options for the area. The Landlords were concerned about the poor state of many of the houses and where requesting support from the DSD in order to deal with the issue and to make the Doury Road a more attractive location within Ballymena.

The Minister’s team have since gone to the Doury Road to see for themselves the extent of investment that is needed. After his visit, McCausland wrote to Paisley giving him his assurances that the problem will be dealt with and that the “do nothing option” is no longer acceptable.

In it he writes, “Having visited the area for myself, I am appalled at the poor state of repair many homes have fallen into. Many of these are in the private sector and alongside Housing Executive voids, have left this part of the estate in a very vulnerable position and totally unattractive for prospective new tenants.

“The ‘do nothing’ option is no longer acceptable and my Department has tasked the Housing Executive to undertake a full economic appraisal to identify the best option that could deliver for this part of the estate... the Housing Executive will consult widely with the local community, private landlords and of course locally elected representatives.”

Paisley spoke after he received the letter:

“This is obviously a good result after a lot of hard work to bring this matter to the Minister’s attention. I welcome any plan or initiative that is going to bring development or regeneration for Ballymena.

“I’m glad that the problem has been recognised but also wary that we should not be in this situation in the first place. I hope that whenever the appraisal and conclusions have been finalised by the Housing Executive, that investment is granted and that the Doury Road moves on and becomes the prosperous place it has the potential for in the long term.

“I will be anxiously awaiting the Housing Executive’s appraisal in due course and willing to assist in any way possible so as to ensure we have an area receiving the best treatment possible from the Executive and one we can be very proud of.”