Housing Executive reveals it has invested £66.21m in Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council area over the last year
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive has revealed that it has invested £66.21m in Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council area during 2024/25.
Jennifer Hawthorne, Housing Executive Director of Housing, outlined the organisation’s progress across their Strategic Housing Authority and public landlord roles, over the last 12 months, to local councillors at the annual Housing Investment Plan update.
A total of £10.02m was invested in Housing Executive properties through planned maintenance and stock improvements during 2024/25. A further proposed spend of £7.14m is planned for Housing Executive homes across the District in 2025/26.
Last year £14.90m was invested specifically on energy efficiency improvement measures with plans to sustain this investment during 2025/26.
At the meeting, Jennifer Hawthorne said: “The rent levels set over the last three years have given us some additional capacity to invest in our own homes.
"Last year we were able to make significant investments in improving our homes and, assuming rent levels remain stable, we plan to invest £750 million into our housing stock across Northern Ireland over the next three years.
“We are pleased to be able to deliver for our tenants however we do have concerns about the impact of the housing budget for 2025/26, specifically on the ambitions for increasing housing supply.
“Investment in new-build homes in the District saw 433 housing association units on-site at March 2025, and 54 housing completions for the year.
"Any addition to housing stock is a benefit however the pressure on future capital spending will continue into 2025/26 and we will see another year where the number of new social homes being built falls short of what is required.
“We must continue to collaborate with councils and the housing sector to find solutions.”
Across the District, 533 people who presented as homeless were accepted for support last year.
Building cohesive, thriving and supportive communities across the District remained a key area of focus in the investment plan for 2024/5.
Ms Hawthorne continued: “We were able to support local communities with £56k funding through our community grants, community safety and community cohesion programmes.
“In addition to investing in homes and communities in 2024/25, we are also pleased to have been able to support the economic future of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council area with a steady, positive impact on employment and local supply chains. This demonstrates the vital economic lever that housing provides, both Northern Ireland wide and throughout our local communities.
“This update on our Housing Investment Plan coincides with the start of our new three-year corporate strategy – Our Promise to Our Communities.
"The strategy commits us to contributing more to the health of our customers, building cohesive neighbourhoods, driving sustainable growth opportunities and brighter futures for generations across Northern Ireland.
“Whilst we recognise the challenging environment we are operating in we are also confident that there are many opportunities to build on the great work carried out through partnerships with our local councils.
"I am looking forward to continuing this work as we deliver against our shared goal of providing better places to live for the people and communities we serve.”