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NIHE board to consult on decommissioning tower blocks
Northern Ireland’s housing authority has agreed to move forward with plans to decommission its 33 tower blocks.
At a meeting on Wednesday, the board of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) resolved to consult with residents and politicians on the next phase of its high-rise strategy. This will include the demolition of at least some blocks over the next two decades.
The body, which owns around 86,500 homes across Northern Ireland, says it would cost more than £300m over the next 30 years to maintain its tower blocks.
It has been reviewing the future of its high-rise stock since 2015, though the process was put on hold after the Grenfell Tower fire in June last year.
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A spokesperson for the NIHE said: “The approach that has been agreed by the board is to consult with residents, political representatives and the wider community about future plans for each of the tower blocks and surrounding neighbourhoods.
“This includes the decommissioning of tower blocks over an agreed extended time period and further exploration of future housing options available at each location.
“Once these plans have been developed, we will seek business case approvals from the relevant government departments.
“In the meantime, we will continue to maintain all our tower blocks and ensure health and safety and other work is carried out as required.”
In January, an independent report identified fire safety issues in some NIHE tower blocks.
As part of an extensive action plan, it recommended that the landlord consider installing sprinklers in its tower blocks where “necessary, practical and value for money”.
Several residents were evacuated when a fire broke out at Coolmoyne House in Dunmurry, Belfast last Autumn, appearing to spread across external panels on the building.
Approximately 3,000 people live in Northern Ireland’s tower blocks.
The NIHE has commissioned tenant engagement body Supporting Communities to carry out a 12-month project aimed at giving its high-rise residents greater representation.
No specific forum for tower block residents to air their views currently exists in the region.
As part of the process, Supporting Communities has been contacting tower block residents to ask about their living conditions and gather data on demographics and tenure types.
Sarah Harkness-Robinson, tower block project co-ordinator at Supporting Communities, said: “We hope to establish a Tower Block Tenants’ Forum, which will draw representation from across the 33 tower blocks and sit as part of the Housing Community Network.
“This can provide residents, both Housing Executive tenants and leaseholders, an opportunity to have their say on issues which are unique to them.
“It also gives the Housing Executive an opportunity to engage directly with residents, who can in turn influence decisions which directly affect them.”
Ben Collins, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations, said the sector is ready to provide homes for former residents of tower blocks but would need extra resources.
“The key issue in this is the welfare of the tenants and making sure that they can be rehoused quickly in good quality homes,” he said.
“In this context, any increase in housing targets must be met by a corresponding increase in resources.”
