The Earth’s Corr: NI needs a mandatory derelict property register to bring owners into line and sort our cities out

Tongues have been wagging this week about the throngs of crumbling, derelict and falling down buildings in our capital city – and it’s about time.

I argued that “inaction on decaying buildings is a dereliction of duty” in this very column in January 2023. But since then, not much has changed.

Almost whole streets across Belfast continue to decay because hyped up projects like Tribeca appear to have faded away to nothing while the palatial Crumlin Road Courthouse has been left to wreck and ruin, barely standing opposite a major tourist attraction.

Read more: The Earth’s Corr: Inaction on decaying buildings is a dereliction of duty

Read more: Family takes council to court over plans for 25 acre site amid housing crisis

But this dereliction of duty is not unique to Belfast. Right up and down this country, scores of buildings are in the same shape, and councils have no idea how many there are.

While buildings in commercial centres pose a huge problem, we also have a major issue when it comes houses that could be homes, but are in no fit state to be lived in.

We contacted each council to ask if they keep a register of derelict homes – because so many thousands of people are need of one to lay their heads at night.

After all, they are in charge of taking action if buildings in their district are deemed a public safety threat.

But the answer across the board, was that NO, they do not.

According to the Department for Communities October to December 2023 housing bulletin, 46,461 applicants were on the Northern Ireland Executive waiting list for a house and 34,651 households were in ‘housing stress’.

It has been suggested to me that you can’t link the number of people waiting for a Housing Exec home with the number of derelict properties – but I beg to differ.

This is a whole of society problem and it needs joined up thinking and a whole-society solution.

If homes or buildings are standing empty, unloved and being land-banked while so many are in need, why isn’t more being done to make private owners repair them and get them on the market?

But we have to start with derelict register.

According to NI Direct: “Each local council is responsible for investigating derelict, dangerous and insecure buildings in their area. They have the authority to seek a remedy with the property owner.

“If you have concerns and want to report a derelict or dangerous property, contact your local council.”

The Department of Finance, which overseas building regulations, also told me contact the councils.

So I did and asked each of them how many derelict homes they have registered.

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council told me: “If we are made aware of one where there is an issue with, for example, vermin or excess rubbish, then we will act quickly to address this within the legislative remit of the council.

“We have acted on reports of 27 derelict properties made to us in the last 12 months.”

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council said it “does not maintain a derelict register”.

“The Council responds, however, as appropriate to notifications on structures considered a danger to the public”.

Mid Ulster Council said it “doesn’t hold this register”.

“I would suggest you contact LPS who might hold such information.”

After further questions, they added: “If a derelict property is considered a danger by a member of the public/neighbour etc. then this can be reported to the Council who will then investigate this under the relevant legislation and if a safety concern is identified under the legislation, the owner will be asked to remedy the issue.

“If they don’t, the Council will remedy and then seek the relevant costs of the owner. This, however, would only happen occasionally throughout any given year.”

Derry & Strabane said “our Council only investigates complaints about derelict and dangerous properties and does not hold a register”.

Causeway Coast and Glens said they don’t have a derelict register as did Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council; Fermanagh & Omagh and so on.

When I started looking into this, I did ask the Department of Finance which oversees LPS and they told me: “Land & Property Services collects land and property information which underpins the collection of rates.

“If a property is derelict and has been taken out of the Valuation List it is not liable for rates. LPS does not collect and retain information regarding derelict properties.”

So as in so many scenarios before, round in circles we go.

Nor does LPS “maintain a register of vacant properties” after we asked DoF about the number of empty homes in Northern Ireland.

They did however say LPS gather “occupancy vacancy data which is maintained for the purposes of assessing and billing rates”.

But they added: “There is currently no requirement for ratepayers to inform Land & Property Services that their property is vacant, nor is there any financial advantage to doing so. As such, the information held in the rating system on the number of empty domestic properties may not be current or complete.”

According to the figures, which we now know are likely not accurate, Belfast has a 4% vacancy rate overall but one in five non-domestic properties are empty, ABC 3.5% overall, but 14.2% for non-domestic buildings and Antrim & Newtownabbey 2.5% in total, but 13.2% for the latter.

But however, you look at this, the long and short of the whole sorry mess, is that no one anywhere has a complete picture of just how big an issue dereliction and vacant properties are across Northern Ireland.

Yes, we can see it when we walk the streets, drive through towns and the countryside – but not one single department or council holds the figures we need as a starting point to sort out this mess.

It doesn’t really surprise me, but it’s a sin when so many are in need of a home and those who own derelict properties have been allowed to act with impunity for so long.

The DUP’s Ruth Brooks was just right to ask BCC to survey dilapidated properties across the city.

But this is a much wider issue and needs to be tackled from the top with a strong Dereliction Bill, complete with requirements to register every derelict or empty property, rate reforms and a dereliction tax for those sitting on properties for sale down the line.

Only then can the issue be tackled properly to make NI a much nicer place to live and to visit.

Stop badgering the badgers

I know we’ve yet to hear whether there will be a badger cull or not in NI because of TB spread in cattle.

But some figures from across the water in England, should be at the heart of the debate, if and when it comes back around.

Government figures released this week show 19,570 more supposedly protected badgers have been killed in England in 2023 as part of the government-led cull, taking the total lost to 230,125 since the policy was introduced in 2012.

What’s more alarming, however, is that in areas like Devon, Dorset and Cornwall, those tasked with gunning down the unfortunate creatures couldn’t find enough to meet their quotas sparking serious concerns they could be nearing extinction in some areas.

The Badger Trust says 94% of bTB spreads cattle to cattle, which are tested for the disease before they are killed.

But that barely any of the badgers sacrificed because of it are being tested to see if they had it.

They also say all that without mandatory cattle measures, the cycle of bTB infection in farmed cattle will continue regardless of how many badgers are culled, and have called out delays in vaccines for cattle which “work”.

Peter Hambly, Badger Trust, said: “The killing of badgers must stop. It doesn’t work in bTB control – it never has.

“Now, the government plans to kill even more with no end date, without the science case or business case to back it up.

“When they can’t find the badgers to kill, you know we are near local extinction events.

“After 250,000 years of badgers on this land, we may be nearing the end of the badger in some areas.

“This is a national nature scandal – let’s end the badger cull before it’s too late.”

If a cull is ever back on the table in NI, I would urge the minister in charge to take a long hard look at the science and what measures should be in place on farms before making badgers the scapegoat.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.