Debate contribution: Social and Affordable Housing: East Belfast

Debate contribution by Ms Kellie Armstrong on 3 June 2025.

MLA

Ms Kellie Armstrong

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

3 June 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Social and Affordable Housing: East Belfast

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4986174

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank Ms Bunting for securing the Adjournment debate. I do not live in East Belfast, although I will sort of claim that I lived there as a child because I spent so much time there visiting my Aunt Nuala and my Uncle Jimmy. Unfortunately, their street no longer exists. Mashona Street, beside Euston Street Primary School, was redeveloped. I thought until very recently that Daddy Winker's Park was called Daddy Winkler's Park, so there you go. The housing issue that was been brought for debate today is, I agree, an issue in East Belfast and across Northern Ireland. It is a matter that strikes deep at the heart of all our values and the future of what we want for this place. We are failing to deliver social housing in Northern Ireland, and there are a number of reasons for that. East Belfast is very proud of its rich heritage. Hard-working people live there, and they have a strong sense of identity, but a growing crisis lies beneath that pride. Too many families are waiting for a place to call home. They are waiting for dignity, stability and hope, and the damage grows with every day that social housing is delayed. Let us be clear that this is not just about buildings; it is about people. It is about the young mother who is raising her child in damp, cramped conditions. It is about the older man who spent his life in service to the community but now faces isolation without suitable housing. Those people are not statistics: they are our friends, our neighbours and our family. It has been said many times in the Chamber that, when social housing is unavailable, the consequences ripple throughout every part of life. It affects children's education and people's physical and mental health. The lack of housing drives families away from the community that they helped to build, weakening the bonds that hold us together. The failure to act also deepens inequality: without adequate housing, those who are on low incomes are pushed further to the margins while private rents climb beyond reach. We are in danger of creating a two-tier East Belfast: one for those who can afford stability, and one for those who are left behind. Housing is not a luxury but a right that should be protected, promoted and delivered by those in power. When that delivery fails, trust in public institutions erodes, people begin to feel forgotten and resentment replaces hope. There is hope, however. I spent a bit of time, a couple of weeks ago, with the East Belfast Mission at Hosford, where six new apartments have been built just across the road from the Skainos centre. Those apartments will house people who are coming out of the homeless hostel and will provide them with some stability as they, hopefully, move into more permanent housing. That hope comes from the community and from organisations that work in East Belfast. I believe, however, that with political will, smart planning and genuine commitment to the public good, we can replicate that in East Belfast by delivering the homes that it needs. We can invest in our future, protect our community's fabric and ensure that every person, no matter their income, has the chance to live with dignity. To that end, I have this question for the Minister: do you think that it is time that the database of public land owned by all Departments and their arm's length-bodies is produced and aligned with identified housing need? We know that the Housing Executive is awaiting Treasury clearance to be able to borrow and to start to build again. I know that the Housing Executive is looking at its land asset management strategic plan in order to identify where potential land will be. That land needs to be made available now, however. We cannot wait for the Housing Executive to get its clearance. That land needs to be made available in order to meet the needs of people in East Belfast and across Northern Ireland. As has been mentioned, there is an issue with what is beneath the ground. Over the nine years that I have been an MLA, I have grown sick of saying that there will be no cranes without drains. The Northern Ireland Water issue is curtailing necessary housebuilding, and it needs to be sorted. I know that it will not be dealt with by the Communities Minister, but the Executive need to take that under their wing and run with it. It takes far too long to get planning permission. The system can be updated in order to ensure that appropriate permission is provided, but in much quicker time. I believe, for instance, that we should pause the house sales scheme until the Northern Ireland Housing Executive can replace those houses with the new dwellings that our people need. I want the Minister to explain what it is that he can do for East Belfast, taking it as one particular area. What does the outlook look like for you in order to be able to achieve your housing supply strategy? What will be the housing investment plans? When will we see an updated land asset management strategic plan? When will we see asset transfer, so that communities can make better use of the space that is available, for example above shops? I hope that you will encourage the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's place shaping team to look at land banking. There is a massive piece of land on the former Sirocco Works site in East Belfast that is owned by private companies. What could we do with that land if some of it were available for housing? We need to move forward on the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. The notice to quit period needs to be brought in as soon as possible. Too many people are hitting the homelessness lists because they have had to leave private rentals.

Land regeneration will be key for East Belfast. Where is the land? What can be done with it? When can we action that? Minister, what can you do to help East Belfast?

1,025 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:47 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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