Department of Social Development (DSD) Minister Nelson McCausland has been called on to clarify his department’s policy on the provision of ground floor and bungalow accommodation in new build housing developments.
The site for the housing development on Glen Road.
The call comes from Derry Sinn Fein MLA Maeve McLaughlin after it emerged plans for new housing in the Glen area by Apex Housing on behalf of NIHE (Northern Ireland Housing Executive) had no provision for bungalow accommodation.
Ms McLaughlin said: “Several years ago the Glen Development Initiative (GDI) facilitated a number of consultations between NIHE and local residents at which there was clearly a demand for bungalow accommodation in the housing mix.
“The upper Glen area is a largely settled area with an older population living in older terraced housing. Some of the difficulties facing residents are that some are unable to climb stairs or have wheel chair access. These older houses do not lend themselves to adaptation for use by people with mobility problems.
“GDI hosted a further consultation prior to last Christmas and again the lack of provision of bungalows was raised. There is a perception out there in the community that there is an underlying department policy that bungalows take up too much of a land footprint and that costs are higher per unit.”
Sinn Fein MLA Maeve McLaughlin
Calling for clarification Maeve McLaughlin added: “It seems that economics and costs are over-riding the needs of the older and more vulnerable people in our community.
“People with disabilities are being assessed as having complex needs and require specific types of accommodation; however, it seems that policy considerations are taking priority over these needs.”
She said “There doesn’t seem to be any point or rational for organisations like the Housing Executive to engage in consultations with people to get their opinions on the housing mix in new developments or to undertake assessments of the housing needs of people with disabilities and then disregard those findings due to policy constraints.”
Tags: