Ritchie discusses housing priorities during North Belfast visit

Social Development Minister, Margaret Ritchie MLA today visited north Belfast to see housing and regeneration opportunities and meet community organisations.

During a tour of the New Lodge and Sailortown areas, the Minister viewed examples of social housing projects and held meetings with a cross-section of local representatives from Sailortown, Carrick Hill, Seven Towers and the New Lodge to discuss housing issues in the area.

Speaking after the visit, Ms Ritchie said: “Housing is of crucial importance in north Belfast, so I felt it was important for me to come here to discuss the needs of local people and see the work that is being done to try to provide decent affordable homes.

“I am acutely aware of the difficult housing situation in north Belfast, and I am determined to deal with all the issues facing the area in a manner that is sensitive to the needs of all the communities. The Housing Executive and Housing Associations have been working very hard to deliver on the North Belfast Housing Strategy in the face of the severe pressure on waiting lists for social housing. However, I recognise that each statistic means another person or family that is facing an uncertain future. As I have said before, there are no easy fixes, but I will do all that I can within my budget to address these issues. I look forward to the first meeting of the Inter-Departmental Group on Affordable Housing which will take place this Thursday.”

During the meetings with the community organisations, amongst the topics discussed were housing developments in the docks area, a proposed improvement scheme for houses in the “Long Streets” in the upper New Lodge Road, and the Participation and the Practice of Rights Project at Seven Towers. This Project has been in existence since 2001and supports communities in north Belfast and north Dublin in using a human rights based approach in addressing social and economic inequalities they face.

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