AQW 44440/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 21/04/2026
Answered On Date: 06/05/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities whether he will meet with the Minister for Infrastructure and her officials to discuss constraints on town centre regeneration arising from NI Water's designation of areas, such as Newtownards town centre, as a closed capture area, resulting in planning applications to bring derelict buildings back into use being refused because NI Water will not to connect those buildings to the waste water and sewage network.

Answer:

I am not aware of any regeneration schemes, funded by my Department in Newtownards, which have stalled as a result of this issue. Therefore, I do not have any plans to arrange a meeting.