Debate contribution: Housebuilding on Public Land

Debate contribution by Ms Kellie Armstrong on 31 March 2025.

MLA

Ms Kellie Armstrong

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

31 March 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Housebuilding on Public Land

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4871598

Read the official Assembly record

Text

We have a housing crisis in Northern Ireland. That means that more children, families and individuals are living in temporary accommodation — in homelessness — than ever before. The issue of building on public land in Northern Ireland is one of both opportunity and challenge. We know that demand for public housing, infrastructure and public services continues to grow. Public land presents a potential solution, yet navigating the legal, environmental and planning framework remains a complex and, at times, frustrating process. Our planning system, governed by the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, requires rigorous assessments, particularly for developments on public land. That ensures proper land use, but it also leads to delays and uncertainty. Balancing economic growth with environmental protections under laws such as the Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017 can slow projects considerably. Building on public land means balancing the needs of communities with the demands of developers. Public land is not just an asset; it belongs to the people. The Land Acquisition and Compensation (Northern Ireland) Order 1973 and other regulations ensure fair valuation and compensation, but they also create layers of bureaucracy that can complicate land transfers and approvals. Even when land is available, there are infrastructure constraints, such as the limits placed on development by the capacity of waste water infrastructure. We all know that, if all public land were to be made available at this moment, most of it could not be developed because of the lack of waste water infrastructure under the ground. Other limits, including roads and access to sustainable energy, can make development difficult. Public-sector budgets are stretched, and funding models often rely on private-sector investment, which, in turn, requires clarity and confidence in land availability and planning timelines. I look forward to the Finance Minister's review of the public estate, which will identify surplus land that may be available. The suitability of that land will need to be considered. For example, building homes in the middle of an industrial park that lacks access to services will not achieve our aims for building sustainable communities. We must ask this: how do we streamline those processes while maintaining transparency and accountability? We need a conversation about planning reform, infrastructure investment and ensuring that public land serves the public good. We must work across government, councils and stakeholders to unlock land for housing, green energy and essential services. This is not a challenge that we can ignore, but, for the thousands of people who are homeless today in Northern Ireland, it is one that we could address together. I welcome further discussion on how we could move forward. I thank the SDLP for raising the matter. The solution is not easy to come by, because of all the regulations that I have spoken of, but we need to do more to meet housing need in Northern Ireland.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:15 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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