§ Mr. Peter RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps it is intended to take to resolve housing needs in east and south Belfast, including the Castlereagh and Lisburn boroughs.
§ Mr. AtkinsThe Housing Executive and housing associations have new building plans, which together with relets, are aimed at meeting housing needs. A total of 854 dwellings are presently under construction or planned by the Housing Executive over the next three years in east and south Belfast including the Castlereagh and Lisburn boroughs in addition to an estimated annual figure of some 1,970 relets. This will be complemented by housing association schemes currently under construction or planned to commence over the same period to provide 654 dwellings together with 109 bed spaces in shared accommodation.
Under the Government's house purchase scheme announced by the Chancellor in the autumn statement the Housing Executive and housing associations (including the Co-ownership Association) purchased a total of 126 dwellings in the area and these will further assist in meeting housing needs.
733WThe Belfast urban area plan (BUAP) 2001 zoned land for housing development in the greater Belfast area to cover the period up to 1993. The Department of the Environment recently announced that it had commenced a mid-term reassessment of housing land needs in that area. This reassessment will be made with the assistance of the 1991 census figures for population and housing to establish the extent of housing land needs and to meet housing needs up to the year 2001.