Sugden Presses Minister on Social Housing Failures and Planning Delays

Independent East Londonderry MLA Claire Sugden has challenged the Minister for Infrastructure to clarify what enforcement powers her Department has to ensure developers and councils meet their social housing obligations. She has also questioned the impact of planning delays, the conversion of family homes into short-term lets, and the failure to prioritise surplus public land for affordable housing.

Speaking after submitting a series of Assembly Questions, Ms. Sugden said: “There is a clear requirement that at least 20 per cent of new housing developments in places like Causeway Coast and Glens should be social housing, yet I have serious concerns about whether this is actually being enforced. The Minister must outline her statutory role in ensuring this requirement is met, and what action she takes when councils fail to hold developers to account. If no action is being taken, then social housing is being left to chance.”

“Developers who fail to meet their social housing commitments must be held accountable. I have asked how many instances of non-compliance have been recorded in the past five years and what, if anything, has been done to enforce these agreements

“Far too many family homes in areas like Portrush and Portstewart are being converted into short-term holiday lets, pushing house prices beyond reach and worsening the social housing shortage. I have asked the Minister whether she will introduce planning restrictions on such conversions and what assessments her Department has made of the impact on long-term housing availability.”

“We urgently need an assessment of how planning delays are impacting housing supply, and we need to see real action to speed up approvals,” she said. “The demand for social housing is growing, yet the system designed to deliver it is failing. The Minister must act.”