Northern Ireland association hands over first phase of £23.6million housing scheme

One of Northern Ireland’s leading housing associations, Woven has officially handed over 28 new homes to tenants as part of a £23.6million integrated housing development in Strabane.

The high-quality apartments, family homes and accessible housing represent the first phase of Beechmount Village, an integrated urban village that exemplifies Woven’s vision of Homes Lives Communities, on the former Adria factory site. In total, Woven will provide over 150 much needed new homes as part of the scheme.

At almost 50,000 households, waiting lists for social housing in Northern Ireland are at an all-time high. With 6,000 households on the waiting list in the local council area, demand across the north-west is acute and there is unprecedented demand on housing associations to deliver housing.

Woven plans to invest over £63m across the north west as part of its wider £150m boost which includes vital grant funding from the Department for Communities, for new developments, stock upgrades and enhanced housing services over the next five years.

Jason Hardy, head of development at Woven Housing Association, said: “The former Adria site on Beechmount Avenue had been vacant for more than 15 years and holds a long history with the people of Strabane. Our aim from the concept and design stage was to bring new life back into the area, creating a new modern community for the families of Strabane to live and thrive. Working alongside our main contractor Kevin Watson Group (KWG) we are delighted to have been able to deliver new, high quality accessible homes and apartments to meet the growing social housing need in the area.

“The new Beechmount Village scheme has been designed to meet the needs of our tenants. It will include high quality open space and landscaping, and, once completed, a playpark. This is a massive improvement for the local area and we’re delighted to welcome the first tenants to their new homes. We’re very much looking forward to completing the scheme with a further 130 units and continuing our long investment in social housing in Strabane.”

Alderman Darren Guy, deputy mayor of Derry City & Strabane District Council, added: “I was pleased to attend the official handover of the first phase of Beechmount Village in Strabane. This mixed-use housing and employment development on the former Adria factory site is a fantastic addition to the existing housing offering in the area and will be widely welcomed by home seekers in the local community.”

Over the next five years Woven has committed to building over 380 homes across the north-west including Beechmount Village, as well as improving the quality of its current homes and services across the district.

Woven is also continuing to explore further development opportunities to address the growing demand for social housing as part of its commitment to provide accessible and inclusive homes.