Debate contribution: Housing: North Belfast

Debate contribution by Miss Nuala McAllister on 9 April 2024.

MLA

Miss Nuala McAllister

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

9 April 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Housing: North Belfast

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4482306

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank Carál Ní Chuilín for securing this Adjournment debate, and I welcome the Minister to the debate. It is my first Adjournment debate since being elected as an MLA, so I am really glad that it is on housing in North Belfast. I hope that the Minister will forgive me if I sometimes stray into issues that might be thought to be unrelated to housing but that I think exacerbate the issue in North Belfast. I will touch on some of the points that have already been made rather than repeating everything. We have seen managed student accommodation in North Belfast, particularly with the migration of Ulster University to the city centre and the north Belfast area. It is important to note, however, that residents there have been more content than those in other areas of Belfast in which there is managed student accommodation. I place on the record that it is better to have that managed accommodation, but we also need to have balance. That also brings in the issue about land that was previously earmarked for housing, which the first Member to speak mentioned. Where we differ in opinion is on the issue of shared housing. By "shared housing", I do not just mean housing for those from different backgrounds; I mean shared housing in its totality — private, public, commercial etc. We cannot simply continue to build housing in areas where land is cheapest and where there is nothing else around for the people who are eventually put into those houses. We need to build houses in areas that can become communities so that people can take pride in their areas. I commend housing associations for their work over the past decade in building new housing, particularly in the Limestone Road area. The houses built there by Newington Housing Association were of fantastic quality, and the residents were exceptionally happy with them. Equally, it is important to note that the Housing Executive is again building houses in North Belfast, along the Ballysillan Road. It is great to see houses being built there again; it is just unfortunate that the number is in single digits. I do not doubt that, when it comes to allocating those houses, it will be chaotic for the Housing Executive, because there are so few houses and so many people who deserve to have a house in that area. I want to touch on the reform of the allocation points. I agree that we need to reform the system to ensure that it is fair. I do not doubt that every Member is in the same boat as I am in my constituency office with housing issues, which are the most stressful, accounting for the highest volume of cases. I have a family in North Belfast who have over 210 points, but, because of the type of house that they need due to having children with special needs, they have been left homeless for over four years. At one point, they were moved into temporary accommodation, which is yet another issue. Temporary accommodation for families is often far outside North Belfast. We have families who can no longer send their children to school because their temporary accommodation is out by the airport, for example, and the school is in inner-city North Belfast. That is not acceptable. I understand that there is not enough housing, but it simply cannot go on any longer. We also need to address the reasons why people are in housing crisis. We, ultimately, need the anti-poverty strategy and to address poverty in its entirety. The issue of derelict buildings was addressed by the previous Member to speak, and Carál raised the vesting issue. It is important that the Communities Minister works with the AERA Minister to look at what we can do about derelict and dilapidated buildings. There is no doubt that the Housing Executive could use every single one of them — it could upgrade them and put families in them. I hope that we can progress that issue, too. Tower blocks were mentioned. My view differs from that of the previous Member to speak in that I do not think it is acceptable for families to be placed in tower blocks without access to community space. I agree that there needs to be a balance struck between what people want and what they prioritise, because, in North Belfast, we have more urban city living. We need to ensure that there is a balance, as with everything else. I would like to touch on the crisis in maintenance work in North Belfast, which has not been mentioned. The Housing Executive is so overwhelmed that we are getting into a situation where — this is not just because of COVID, so it cannot be the excuse any longer — the maintenance of Housing Executive houses at the current level is not acceptable. People in their 80s who live in Housing Executive houses are having to rely on their children going to MLAs to try to get the work on their homes sped up. We are talking about people being left in the cold. We are also talking about family members whose asthma has worsened, for example, because of the mould that is growing in their Housing Executive property. We need to ensure that there is a review of all existing Housing Executive stock so that there are proper standards when it comes to damp and insulation. I understand that the Housing Executive is working to address the maintenance backlog. However, if there was anything else that the Minister could do, such as putting his weight behind the call for more funding and allocations, so that the Housing Executive could speed that up, I know that many families in North Belfast would appreciate it, because, in the current situation, some are physically unable to use rooms in their homes, and such help would mean that they could remain in their homes.

I understand that this has been an issue since long before the current Minister's time in office, and it will take some time to assess and fix completely. However, every person on the housing waiting list is a person in need and in crisis. I hope that, because the matter has been brought to the Chamber today, the Minister will realise that it is on the agenda and is a priority of every MLA in North Belfast. Hopefully, we can progress housing and anti-poverty issues so that we can see more housing relief in North Belfast. I thank the Member for securing the Adjournment debate, and I look forward to the Minister's response.

1,105 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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