Residents fight to save homes
A WOMAN who spent thousands of pounds renovating her house is fighting to save it from being vested and demolished as part of a social development scheme.
Louisa Blackburn is one of potentially hundreds of home-owners in the Village area of south Belfast whose homes are being forcefully removed from them as part of a redevelopment scheme funded by the Department of Social Development.
The area was designated an Urban Renewal Area in April this year, after Minister Margaret Ritchie announced a 100 million investment to improve the living condition of people in the area.
As part of the scheme the Housing Executive will redevelop 40 per cent of the area and improve the remainder. This means that within the redevelopment area, 580 properties will be demolished and 250 new homes will be built. In the improvement area houses will be retained and modernised – the most deteriorated will be considered for demolition.
Louisa's home on Soudan Street is one of those earmarked for demolition, despite it being in a good, habitable condition after she spent around 12,000 renovating it.
She said many of the houses on her street and Kitchener Street, also marked for redevelopment, are "in good order". And the mostly elderly residents are worried about losing their homes and where they will move to once they are forced out.
"We feel as home-owners we haven't had a fair say in this," Louisa said. "In the rebuilding process they are not catering for the elderly."
She said a proposal for flats hasn't been well received and the residents feel the construction of bungalows as part of the redevelopment would better cater for their needs. But in general there is "very strong opposition" to the plans.
Louisa has sent a detailed letter outlining the thoughts and concerns of the residents to senior politicians, including Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie and First Minister Peter Robinson.
UUP MLA Basil McCrea met with some of the residents after they contacted him. He said more needs to be done to ensure the older population isn't sidelined.
Describing it as a "big problem", he said: "Many of these houses are actually structurally sound. They are nice, compact, quite high-density living, absolutely ideal for people in their senior years."
But he said there was disparity in the way the younger generation and the elderly residents are being dealt with, and he would be writing to Minister Ritchie to ask her to provide some help for the elderly people affected by the development.
"Something needs to be done," he said.
A spokesman for the Housing Executive said the redevelopment scheme was drawn up after many residents were found to be living in "unsuitable conditions" and a "radical solution" was required.
He said there has been "extensive and detailed consultation" with the community groups and local residents, and that there would be further opportunities for community groups or individuals to object to the proposals.
Regarding the concerns over housing after redevelopment, he said: "The Housing Executive will accommodate all residents affected by the redevelopment. At present, we are visiting everyone who lives in the redevelopment area to find out what residents’ housing needs will be when the area is redeveloped and where they would like to live.”
He said no decision had been made about the type of dwellings which will be included in the rebuild.
Designs and plans will be drawn up once vesting has been approved.
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Monday 28 May 2012
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