The Minister met with Councillor Colin McGrath who showed the Minister a number of surplus Council and Housing Executive owned sites in and around the Killough Road Community Centre on the Ballynoe Road. Waiting lists in the area have increased recently, and sites for housing have proved hard to find.
The Minister said: “The number of people needing social housing in Downpatrick Town has increased significantly in recent years. The number of applicants on the waiting list is now in excess of 300, with around half that number in housing stress. The Housing Executive has calculated that 160 new homes are required over the next five years, but despite our best efforts, sites for development have not been forthcoming.
“The new Ballymote Centre is planned for completion late next year and that leaves potential for incorporating the current Killough Road Community Centre with adjacent Council and Housing Executive lands to provide a possible development opportunity.”
The Minister concluded: “When I launched the New Housing Agenda last year, I said I would leave no stone unturned in my desire to address housing need. I am hoping that this visit today, along with the identification of other potential sites, will eventually result in families being able to move off the waiting list much sooner than would otherwise have been the case.”
Notes to Editors:
- Media enquiries to DSD Information Office on 028 9082 9468 or Joe Livingston on 07920 187938. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.
