Co-Ownership Roundtable

Co-Ownership, Northern Ireland’s shared ownership provider, brought MLAs together at Parliament Buildings to discuss the crisis facing the region’s housing sector.

All five main political parties were represented and joined by housing associations, local and central government officials, and private sector leaders to explore what steps can be taken to address the barriers around affordable housing supply.
Participating MLAs shared the experiences of their constituents whilst industry experts advised of challenges affecting the sector in Northern Ireland, which have resulted in low levels of construction, ultimately putting pressure on the availability and affordability of homes.

Mark Graham, Chief Executive of Co-Ownership, advised that despite the challenges, the roundtable discussion was both positive and insightful, and praised all participants for bringing solutions to the table. He explained, “The draft Programme for Government acknowledges that good housing is essential to our health and wellbeing, and that everybody should have access to affordable, sustainable, and quality housing that meets their needs.

“Co-Ownership facilitated the coming together of this diverse panel as we believe that to solve our housing crisis we need a coordinated effort across all sectors – government, private and housing associations. Inevitably, the panel discussed the barriers and frustrations with infrastructure, planning and funding, but there was also a real desire to find solutions. One of the strongest themes to come across was the transformational impact of government working effectively with the private and social sectors not just to build more homes, but also to create vibrant and sustainable communities. Acknowledging the challenges is a step in the right direction but decisive action is needed to ensure that increasing demand for housing is met.”

Following the discussion Co-Ownership released the roundtable report outlining five key steps as proposed solutions to the barriers facing housing supply in Northern Ireland, including addressing the skills and capacity gap in the sector; a holistic approach to planning and infrastructure challenges; a region wide implementation of Local Development Plans; the release of suitable land through collaboration between the public and private sector and finally a multi-year commitment to housing supply that instils confidence in the housing market.

Mark concluded, “Collaboration and alignment are absolutely key. The slow implementation of Local Development Plans is a frustration as planning powers were devolved to local government in 2015, yet only four of the 11 councils’ new planning policies, including housing policies, are in place. However, it is clear to me that around the table, and across the housing sector, there is great passion and commitment to tackle our housing crisis, and I would like to thank all our panel members for their input and their insights. Co-Ownership is focused on playing its part in delivering more affordable homes, and we look forward to working with our partners to achieve the goals set out in the draft Programme for Government and the Housing Supply Strategy.”

Co-Ownership has played a crucial role in Northern Ireland’s affordable housing landscape since 1978. Part-funded by the Department for Communities, it has helped over 33,000 make the step into home ownership and continues to develop its products to ensure it remains relevant and viable.

Read the full Roundtable Report here.