The latest CIS report has shown that housebuilding in Northern Ireland has slowed throughout 2024 with “infrastructure bottlenecks” said to be the cause
The latest Construction Information Services (CIS) report has been released, detailing the slowing of housebuilding across quarters one-three in 2024.
The report has stated that bottlenecks and blockages in infrastructure are the key cause.
House completions are down in 2024
Up to the current quarter, recorded house completions are at 2,778, down from 5,373 completions in 2023.
The new CIS report highlights that this makes 2024 more-than-likely to be the fifth year in a row that housing completions in Northern Ireland are on a decline.
There is furthermore a huge gap between private and social housing across Northern Ireland. In Q3 2024, 5,503 private completions were recorded as opposed to just 501 social completions. The gap could have serious repercussions for those on lower-income needing a home.
Apartment completions are steadily growing year-on-year. Having experienced a decline in 2023, H1 of 2024 has shown signs of recovery, meaning apartment completions may surpass 2023 numbers.
The new CIS report calls for action to address the infrastructure block
CIS commercial director, Dave Thompson, said: “NI Water, the public body that maintains our water supply and infrastructure, has said that limits to its funding mean that it can’t provide the infrastructure to support the strong demand for housing developments. We have seen the impact that these issues have had in Q1/Q2/Q3 2024 with significant reductions in housing activity.
“Key regions have been particularly affected. In the first half of 2024, Belfast, one of the most critical areas for housing supply, experienced 266 completions – well below the required levels to meet ongoing demand.
“If this current pace continues for the remainder of 2024, it will mark another challenging year for the housing market. This continued decline could impact home availability, particularly in key urban centres. These issues, largely driven by under-investment, have limited the region’s capacity to meet housing demand, particularly in high-demand regions like Belfast, Antrim and Newtownabbey.
“Addressing the shortfall in both social and affordable housing is critical – particularly as demand for low-cost homes continues to rise. Without a greater emphasis on both of these areas, Northern Ireland will struggle to meet the current housing demand, particularly as economic pressures intensify.”
