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PPR Response to the Announcement

“Any decision on housing in north Belfast has to evidence how it will concretely address the inequality experienced, in this case, by the Catholic community. Attempting to build good relations on the basis of denying the needs, frustrating the rights, and silencing the voices of the poorest is wrong in itself as it is destructive to the goal of building a shared future.”

Inez McCormack, May 2012

Context

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement promised a future in which decisions about how to spend resources would be premised on addressing evidenced objective need and targeting inequalities. Building equality was to be considered as integral to creating a sustainable peace, not to be ignored or sacrificed at the table of political deal making. 

It is salient to remember that the North Belfast Social Housing Waiting list contains over 2000 people, almost 1400 of whom are in Housing Stress (NIHE Belfast District Housing Plan 2012/2013). In 2008 Northern Ireland Housing Executive statistics estimated that projected housing need by 2012 in North Belfast would be 95% Catholic (DSD EQIA Crumlin Road and Girdwood Barracks Masterplan).  In the face of these figures, the 60 homes planned for Girdwood are merely a drop in the ocean, and fall far short of the potential.

Since 2007, PPR have supported north Belfast residents living in unacceptable housing conditions to use equality legislation, created as a bedrock of the Good Friday Agreement, to push for housing equality. These campaigns included the former Girdwood Barracks site in North Belfast, upon which an out of court settlement was reached yesterday (6 June 2013).

PPR have consistently highlighted the failure of the Department for Social Development and other public bodies to comply with their obligations and meaningfully address the chronic housing inequality residents in the area suffer. It is indicative of this failure that many North Belfast residents continue to suffer chronic and unabated inequality in housing.

Girdwood

Yesterday’s legal challenge to the Department’s plans for Girdwood resulted in an announcement that 60 homes will be built at the site to address need. The legal case followed the announcement last May that North Belfast political representatives had, according to media reports at the time, agreed to a ’70 Catholic/30 Protestant’ split on the site despite there being little evidenced need for new additional social housing in the predominantly Protestant areas of north Belfast.

PPR recognise the courage displayed by the female north Belfast resident in attempting to challenge unjust political decisions through the courts. It is a further example of the bravery exhibited by all those residents who struggle to hold government to account for the promises of the Good Friday Agreement.

The truth is that this path of action taken by a woman in dire housing stress should not have been necessary. It is a product of failed decision making and a failure to honour and implement the Good Friday Agreement on behalf of those entrusted to do so.

In all, three announcements about plans for housing at Girdwood have been made; in 2010 when Minister Attwood announced 200 new social homes would be built; in May 2012 the new minister McCausland announced a political deal among north Belfast politicians for an alleged ‘70/30' split on 100 homes, and; yesterday when the legal challenge resulted in a settlement of 60 homes built on the basis of meeting need.

60 homes for families and individuals in chronic need is, of course, to be welcomed. But behind those 60 people lie approximately 1,340 more families and individuals in similar need without any existing prospect of being housed in accommodation that allows them to get on with their lives.

The Department’s legal representative yesterday referred to these homes as part of a wider initiative, with plans for a further 671 homes planned across north Belfast. According to the Social Housing Development Programme’s New Build Schemes list, however, only 267 homes are programmed for the area (NIHE Belfast District Housing Plan 2012/2013).

What Next?

Despite the gaping inequality in north Belfast, there is no resourced plan on what measures the combined political power of the NI Executive, and other bodies such as Belfast City Council and the planning service, will take to address this problem.

Girdwood is a windfall site for North Belfast, but it is not the only opportunity for housing. Opportunities to finally put an end housing inequality in north Belfast are plentiful. Viable land for residential use lies available in the 20 acre, largely vacant, Docks area in north Belfast. It is estimated by the Forum for Alternative Belfast (June 2010) that adjacent areas in Belfast city centre could accommodate up to 60,000 new people. And there are more.

Girdwood remains a primary example of how not to address housing inequality in north Belfast. The thousands of people suffering from housing inequality in North Belfast cannot afford the brokering and deal making which have characterised the Girdwood decisions to dictate the future pace of equality in housing provision.

They rightly expect and deserve much more.