AQW 31991/22-27
Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford
Tabled Date: 24/09/2025
Answered On Date: 07/11/2025
Priority Written: No
Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities, pursuant to AQW 20813/22-27, and further to the release of a substantial area of land in Bangor, County Down by the Department of Education, to detail (i) whether his officials have worked with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to identify this land for housing; and (ii) any actions that have been taken with Executive colleagues to ensure such opportunities are acted on quickly.
Answer:
To date, the Housing Executive has not been notified of any surplus land within the Education Authority’s estate in Bangor. The Housing Executive is a statutory partner in the Ards and North Down Community Planning Partnership and actively contributes to the Community Planning Estate and Land Sub-Group. They will raise the status of this site to assess its potential to meet housing needs. Where a viable opportunity is identified, the Housing Executive will express interest and nominate a Housing Association to explore the feasibility of delivering housing on the site. The Housing Executive identifies and communicates social housing requirements through the Annual Housing Development Commission (formerly known as the Commissioning Prospectus), which also guides housing associations in their site search activities. Surplus public sector assets—whether identified through the Public Sector Trawl or directly by asset owners—are assessed against local housing need and development potential. I am also progressing work to bring a paper to the Executive around making better use of public land to support the supply of affordable housing.
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