Taking Back the City: Community Led Housing in Northern Ireland

A new report published today explains how to put communities in the driving seat in addressing homelessness and building sustainable housing

Take Back the City are determined to build community led housing on Belfast's Mackie's site

A decent home defines the whole arc of our lives, providing the basis for opportunity, security and good health. No one could deny that there is a housing crisis in Belfast. But while there may be genuine commitment both inside of and outside of government to make change happen, that commitment is not being translated into delivering the homes we urgently need.

It is imperative that we prioritise socially rented homes for those in most in need of housing in the city. The Town and Country Planning Association’s (TCPA) report on Community Led Housing (CLH) published today by the Take Back the City coalition explores exciting new ways to contribute to delivering the homes we need using housing models that put communities in the driving seat.

The report identifies different models of community-led housing and explores the legal and policy tools required deliver them.

The report examines the opportunities for CLH to be part of the solution to Northern Ireland’s housing crisis. By pushing the planning, construction and management of new homes into the hands of well-organised communities we can bring people together in ways which create the outcomes we want while building the skills that can create lasting opportunites.

The report is authored bu Hugh Ellis (centre) of the Town and Country Planning Association

Unlike other parts of the UK, genuinely community-led housing projects are rare in Northern Ireland. The report identifies different models of community-led housing and explores the legal and policy tools required deliver them.

The report also examines the exciting potential of Community Led Housing to deliver good quality homes at a specific site in Belfast; the former Mackie’s site in the west of the city. At 13 hectares, the site is the most significant area of vacant public land in the city and has huge potential to provide homes in an area of Northern Ireland where housing need is at its most acute. For a visualisation of the site and more information about its location in the city, please visit Take Back the City | Build a Better Belfast.

The report will be serialised on this site over the next month.

To make your voice heard on rezoning the Mackie's site, click here