To ask the Minister for Communities, regarding areas with high concentrations of second homes and short-term holiday lets, whether his Department has made any assessment of the need for affordable housing, including (i) how this assessment is reflected in the planning and delivery of affordable housing; and (ii) any specific measures being considered for coastal communities experiencing housing affordability pressures.

The NIHE in its role as the strategic Regional Housing Authority for Northern Ireland, is responsible for the identification of housing need, including through its Strategic Housing Market Analysis which sets out projections of future housing need and demand, including for affordable homes. Local councils are responsible for bringing forward necessary housing policies for their own areas in their Local Development Plans (LDPs) and work closely with the Housing Executive Place shaping teams to ensure adequate zoning of land and provision of appropriate affordable housing policies in the LDPs to meet local requirements.

My Department’s policy remit covers all types of affordable homes, including social, intermediate for rent and intermediate for sale (shared-ownership).

The Social Housing Development Programme is a three-year rolling programme of planned social housing schemes based on the identification and analysis of housing need by geographical area. The scale and nature of social new build provision takes account of a range of factors including the Net Stock Model, Housing Need Assessments and the NIHE Social Housing Development Guidelines.

Co-Ownership is the Department’s main delivery partner for shared ownership housing. Their scheme operates a ‘Do It Yourself Shared Ownership’ model where the customer selects either a new build or existing property they wish to purchase. Overall need is determined by the NIHE through the Strategic Housing Market Analysis process.