Council will also press Stormont minister to forward the delayed Stormont Dilapidation Bill
Belfast City Council has agreed to look at making a new survey of dilapidated buildings across the city and to push Stormont to urgently bring forward legislation to tackle the problem.
“I want to add that this council carries out a survey of the city to identify and evaluate all the dilapidated properties.” She said: “Mine is not the only area with these difficulties and challenges. But my concerns are in particular the entrance areas to East Belfast - there is so much investment in the public realm schemes, in Templemore Street, things pepper potted through Newtownards Road, but loads of areas are being left to rack and ruin. There are fake shop fronts put up 10 years ago, and we are still seeing those hoardings today. We did not expect them to be up a decade later.
A council officer gave a muted response to the call for a new survey. She said: “I absolutely understand the concerns around the Dilapidation Bill, and we will put together a letter if it is agreed by the committee. In terms of the additional survey across the entirety of Belfast, I think everyone can appreciate the kind of resources that will be required to do that.
A Dilapidation Bill, which would have given councils more powers to deal with abandoned and derelict properties, was due to be introduced to the Assembly in 2021. DAERA instead gave other projects precedence before the Assembly fell apart in 2022, and would not sit again for two years.Join our Belfast Live breaking news service on WhatsApp Click this link or scan the QR code to receive breaking news and top stories from Belfast Live.
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