Thousands of homes lie empty across Tyrone

STATISTICS published by the Department of Finance have revealed that three of the five parliamentary constituencies with the highest number of empty houses in the North are at least partly in Tyrone.

Of the North’s 18 constituencies, Fermanagh and South Tyrone is the only one with more than 2,000 registered empty houses, putting it at the top of this dismal list.

However, not far behind is West Tyrone with 1,664 registered domestic properties without any occupants as of November 1, meanwhile Mid Ulster had 1,452 empty homes at the time the statistics were recorded.

The only two constituencies outside Tyrone ranked as being among the five voting areas with the highest number of vacant properties were Newry and Armagh, as well as South Down.

FAILED TO DELIVER

But this problem of empty houses is not a new phenomenon – the Northern Ireland Empty Homes Strategy and Action Plan 2013-2018 established a range of proposals to reduce the number of empty houses, however recent statistics would suggest it failed to deliver its objectives.

And although the current statistics indicate a bleak housing situation in which essential resources are being wasted, the reality is likely to be considerably more gloomy still.

The department have said that because there is no incentive for property owners to register their houses as empty, it has to be presumed that the actual figure for unoccupied domestic premises in the North is much higher than current statistics account for.

While repopulating these houses with tenants cannot solely solve the North’s growing housing crisis, it must represent a constituent part of any effective reform plan.

The question which now glares at those in Stormont; how can it be ensured that these houses are put back into use?