NEWS
£20MSOCIALHOUSINGDEVELOPMENTGETS GREENLIGHTFROMDISTRICTCOUNCIL
T he Royal Society the Finance Minister, Conor Murphy MLA, seeking urgent clarification on the required energy performance of new buildings in Northern Ireland. The least demanding of any region in the UK and Ireland, existing regulations of Ulster Architects (RSUA) has written to mean higher emissions and higher energy bills for NI households. Since 2014 the target has been carbon-neutral buildings, or something very close. That becomes a legal requirement from the start of 2021, and yet the Department for Finance has not produced a technical booklet offering guidance. Ciarán Fox, Director of RSUA, said: “There is a pressing need for the energy performance of both new and existing buildings to be radically improved to lower fuel bills and reduce our contribution to climate change. Architects RSUACALL FORCLARITY ONREQUIRED ENERGY PERFORMANCE FORNEW BUILDINGS
D erry City and Strabane District Council has approved plans to build a new high-quality residential development on the lands of the former Adria Factory on Beechmount Avenue in Strabane. Proposed by Habinteg Housing Association (Ulster) Ltd, the £20 million development will comprise 158 homes as well as
Artists’s impres- sion of the council approved £20m residential-led development in Strabane
community facilities, small business units, public open space, and a children’s play park. The majority of homes within the scheme will be social housing and seek to address the growing need in Strabane town. Designed by RPP Architects, this new provision of homes will offer a mix of accommodation including general needs, CAT 1 elderly, plus wheel- chair accessible housing and complex needs accommodation. Darren McKinney, Chief
Executive of Habinteg Housing Association, commented: “There has been a lack of new social housing in Strabane over the past decade and we welcome the opportunity to help resolve this shortage.”
T: +44 (0)28 7035 1223 www.habinteg.org.uk
and builders have been left in the dark by the
Government. In this vacuum, lower performance buildings are being designed today in line with the existing regulations and technical guidance.” T: +44 (0)28 9032 3760 E: info@rsua.org.uk www.rsua.org.uk
BELFASTHARBOURTOBUILDONSOLID PLATFORMFROM2019
B elfast Harbour’s financial performance in 2019 looks set to provide that a strong platform from which to counter Covid-19 and its impact on the local and global economy. An integral part of a long- term strategy, Belfast Harbour committed £115.7m in further project investment during 2019, as it strives to deliver on its vision of becoming the best regional port and an iconic waterfront. In the past decade alone Belfast Harbour has invested over £290m in port infrastructure and estate regeneration.
Belfast Harbour’s Chairman, David Dobbin, said: “The scale of the challenge to get the economy back to pre-crisis levels and to recover our tourist and leisure trade is immense. However, Belfast Harbour’s sound financial position and ambitious investment plans will allow us to play a key role in helping drive the local recovery. I want to assure everyone that we are open for business, our major construction contracts are continuing and we actively pursuing business opportunities.”
16 | NI BUILDER
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