Debate contribution: Unadopted Housing Developments and Roads

Debate contribution by Mr John Stewart on 11 November 2024.

MLA

Mr John Stewart

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

11 November 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Unadopted Housing Developments and Roads

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4668085

Read the official Assembly record

Text

The Ulster Unionist Party will support the motion and the amendment. The sponsors and the Minister will know that I, too, have been raising the issue in the Chamber, at Committee and at any other opportunity that I get. As elected representatives, we know that, at the best of times, it is hard to get roads repaired, sewerage facilities sorted and lights fixed, but, when you do not even exist on the system, it is impossible. Last week, I stood in East Antrim with some of the many hundreds of people who live on one of those 1,600 developments as they had just managed, after six months, to get lights switched on. That was a result of their own efforts, but they remain without any proper sewerage facilities and road repairs. They are some of the many thousands across the country who are in that situation.

We all know that buying a home is one of the most important and biggest steps that you will take. Many, thankfully, go through without any difficulties, but, sadly, thousands of people across Northern Ireland are left in a limbo land where they cannot get access to services and are not on the grid. I agree with much of what has been said today. One of the many things that has been covered is frustration with developers. I called in a Member's statement for a two-pronged approach, which would fit with what has been proposed today regarding a strategy to tackle the backlog. I would be interested in hearing from the Minister how much that would cost. I know that it would be significant and that money is tight. The 2012 report, for example, suggested that it could be in excess of £300 million. There is no doubt that it would be significantly more than that. There is nothing more frustrating for the people who are living in those developments than seeing developers starting to build elsewhere while their own cannot be finished. Some of those developments are 20 or 30 years old, and they —

Thank you. That is exactly the point, and that is the frustration. I think that there is a development in my home town of Carrickfergus that remains unadopted after 24 years. Ninety per cent of the bond has been drawn down by the developer, but it has transpired that the money that is left over will not even touch the sides of the repairs that need to be done. Where did the system break down? How on earth was that developer allowed to, effectively, draw back 90% of the bond without having done any of the adequate works underneath the ground? When the homeowners contact me, other representatives or the Department, they are, invariably, told to sort it out with the developer, who does not engage. After 20 years, the cycle continues, and they remain totally frustrated. Their house price is affected. Their ability to sell the property is affected. They feel, like so many other people do, that they are totally in limbo and nothing is being done. That is why we need to see some sort of change. I am open to having the discussion about what that looks like. I appreciate that there will be a backlog when addressing some of them, but we must stop it. If that means that the bond has to excessively grow, so be it. If it means that developers are stopped from selling the last percentage of their houses until everything is signed off, so be it. A debate needs to take place about what needs to be done to stop it. The good developers will continue to do the right thing, but the most frustrating thing is those who do not. As I said, when people who are stuck in that position see the developers who built their property building a mile down the road while, 15 years on, they still cannot get access to basic services, they rightly find that frustrating. We support the motion. We look forward to hearing from the Minister. I would like to hear how much of the money from the 1,600 developments is still caught up in bonds and how many of those examples have been tapped into. In the example that I gave, in which a percentage is drawn down, what is the current value of bond money sitting in holdings, and how much of that could be used to start tackling the backlog? I am interested in hearing the Minister's thoughts.

751 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:35 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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