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A group of Northern Ireland’s home builders have launched a new group to tackle the growing house building crisis caused by the region’s failing wastewater infrastructure.
Build Homes NI believe that decades of underfunding Northern Ireland’s wastewater infrastructure represents a political failure that has created a social, environmental and economic crisis, with many housing developments in Newry and surrounds either being forced to find their own wastewater solutions at considerable expense or deciding not to proceed.
The group blames the chronic lack of capacity in wastewater infrastructure for new home completions falling to a 60-year low and contributing to record levels of homelessness.
It’s expected that less than 5,000 new homes were completed in Northern Ireland last year. As the supply of new homes has decreased, numbers on social housing lists have risen to a record 47,000 households, including 14,000 who have been waiting more than five years. The number of households in temporary accommodation has more than doubled in just five years.
There are currently almost 4,000 applicants waiting for social housing in the Newry, Mourne & Down District Council area and the group is encouraging members of the public to join them in their campaign to increase the number of homes being built here.
James Fraser, Director of Fraser Partners said: “For years home builders have warned that persistently choosing to underfund NI Water would have consequences. We now have a housing and environmental crisis which, in the absence of workable solutions from the Executive, will continue to get worse.
“Housebuilders want to build homes but every year the number of areas where we can do so gets smaller. Developers are willing to make more financial contributions, but this is only practical for the largest private developments.
“Localised solutions funded by developers is a sticking plaster solution. Such an approach will be a de facto water charge based on a postcode lottery. It will also make social housing schemes unaffordable. If this is the primary proposal the Executive has, it will fail. Northern Ireland’s wastewater infrastructure is facing a systemic failure which requires a system-wide solution. Only the Executive has the means to tackle this crisis.”
NI Water, which is funded by the Department for Infrastructure, has identified 100 areas across Northern Ireland where wastewater infrastructure is restricting development. At a meeting of Stormont’s Infrastructure Committee in November last year, NI Water officials confirmed that they are anticipating up to a £1bn shortfall in funding from the NI Executive between now and 2027. This is in addition to a £700m funding shortfall between 2015-2021.
NI Water is already responsible for one in eight of all pollution incidents in Northern Ireland. More than 20 million tonnes of untreated sewage and wastewater is spilled into local waterways annually.
Build Homes NI, Director, Paul McErlean, said: “Northern Ireland’s wastewater infrastructure isn’t fit for purpose. That is the direct result of decades of underfunding by the Northern Ireland Executive."
He added “NI Water’s creaking infrastructure is polluting our rivers and beaches and the cost to the economy is enormous. In the housing sector alone, there are more than 16,500 homes worth £3bn which can’t be built, while a further 55 manufacturing and hospitality projects have been shelved or relocated elsewhere.
“Enough is enough. Years of wilful underfunding has created an omnishambles that affects everyone in Northern Ireland. Homebuilders are ready and willing to help, but we need the Executive to step up to its responsibilities and provide leadership and a proper funding model for NI Water.”
Build Homes NI’s founding members include Alskea, Antrim Construction, Beechview Developments, Braidwater Group, Fraser Partners, Hagan Homes, Lagan Homes, Lotus Homes and McGinnis Group.
Details of how to get involved in Build Homes NI’s campaign to build more homes are available online at www.buildhomesni.com
