DEVELOPERS and planners in Northern Ireland are facing significant challenges including the key issue of lack of land for housing developments.
Not enough new homes are being built here and that shortage of supply, effectively causing a market stagnation, has become a cause for concern, leaving some people, especially those who are younger, at risk of homelessness.
It’s just one of the topics which will be under the spotlight at the annual RICS Planning and Development conference set to take place at Belfast City Hall on February 8, where a line-up of experts will share their specialist knowledge with delegates.
Anita Conway, director of development at Radius Housing, which has a social housing presence in all 11 council areas, will share her thoughts on how to solve the lack of space of housing development, looking at the extent of the problem, how mixed-use schemes can help, and the role of social housing.
At Rics, the principal independent body representing professionals employed in the land, property and construction sectors, we take the issue of young people at risk of homelessness very seriously.
That is why we have partnered with property industry charity LandAid, to launch the Pledge150 campaign, to lead the built environment sector in raising £2.25m for the provision of 150 bed spaces across all 12 UK regions by December 2018.
The charities which will benefit locally are Extern and Foyle Women’s Aid, both of which do sterling work and we are pleased to support their projects in the drive to tackle the issue of homelessness.
The planning and development industries are experiencing huge regulatory changes and we look forward to hearing from Richard Harwood, QC at Essex Chambers, who will give a roundup of the latest planning and development case law and will also discuss the impact of Brexit.
Sara Tinsley, associate director at planning consultancy Turley, will look at environmental issues and planning, updating delegates on environmental assessment regulations as well as scoping, screening and the development process.
At Rics we watch changes in the development process closely and continue to believe that the region’s infrastructure would benefit hugely from a City Region Deal, an agreement between government and local councils that gives the councils certain powers and freedom to take charge and responsibility of decisions that affect its area.
New powers could speed up the way development schemes are planned and carried out. These changes have the potential to create jobs and boost the economy so we encourage further movement towards the agreement.
In Northern Ireland we have a serious problem with high vacancy rates in our town centres. This is an issue of key concern from many perspectives, and Angela Wiggam, associate director at Turley, will examine how policy changes have influenced retail trends and development and how business rate changes will impact the high street.
The conference will also focus on development projects happening across the UK and in Northern Ireland and how we can learn from them.
Amid all of these challenges, it has never been more important for planners and developers to understand how they can work together to create better communities in which people enjoy living and working.
The RICS Planning and Development Conference takes place at Belfast City Hall on 8 February 2018. To book go to www.rics.org/niplanning or phone 028 9032 2877.
:: Susan Mason (smason@rics.org) is acting director of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Northern Ireland (Rics).
