Northern Irish house builders call on government to address ‘failing’ wastewater infrastructure

Last year it emerged that 19,000 homes were stalled over lack of wastewater capacity in the country. 

In March 2024, a report from the NI Audit Office said there should be a comprehensive expert review of how NI Water was funded and governed.

Build Homes NI’s founding members include Alskea, Antrim Construction, Beechview Developments, Braidwater, Fraser Partners, Hagan Homes, Lagan Homes, Lotus Homes and McGinnis Group.

The group has blamed the lack of capacity in wastewater infrastructure for the number of new home completions falling to a 60-year low and contributing to record levels of homelessness. 

Just over 5,000 new homes were completed in Northern Ireland in 2023, which was the lowest number since 1959. 

The number of households on social housing lists has risen to a record 47,000.

James Fraser, director of Fraser Partners, one of Northern Ireland’s largest house builders, said: “For years, home builders have warned that persistently choosing to underfund NI Water would have consequences.

“We now have a housing and environmental crisis which, in the absence of workable solutions from the [Northern Ireland] Executive, will continue to get worse.

“House builders want to build homes, but every year the number of areas where we can do so gets smaller. Developers are willing to make more financial contributions, but this is only practical for the largest private developments.”

Build Homes NI said localised solutions funded by developers is a “sticking-plaster solution” and it will make social housing schemes “unaffordable”. 

“If this is the primary proposal the executive has, it will fail. Northern Ireland’s wastewater infrastructure is facing a systemic failure which requires a system-wide solution,” Mr Fraser said.

Paul McErlean, director of Build Homes NI, said the wastewater infrastructure in Northern Ireland “isn’t fit for purpose”.

“Home builders are ready and willing to help, but we need the executive to step up to its responsibilities and provide leadership and a proper funding model for NI Water,” he added. 

In December, the minister for infrastructure announced that more than 2,000 new homes could have water and sewerage networks as a result of £19.5m in extra funding.

A Department for Infrastructure spokesperson said: “Despite operating in a difficult financial environment for a number of years due to underfunding and austerity by the British government, the minister for infrastructure has provided NI Water with £0.5bn of public money this financial year. 

“This is to enable it to deliver essential water and sewerage services for all people across the North reflecting the central importance of water and sewerage services to our society and to protecting and improving the water environment. 

“NI Water was also allocated an additional £19.5m during October monitoring, specifically to address constraints in wastewater infrastructure and to unlock capacity for housing connections. 

“This funding will lead to additional capacity for some 2,300 new properties to connect to the sewerage system. 

“The department plans to consult in March on developer contributions, as well as continuing to press for appropriate investment for NI Water and is bringing forward new legislation in relation to sustainable drainage systems as part of the minister’s three-pronged approach to address the current wastewater capacity challenges.”