Limavady District Housing Plan 2011/12 - Northern Ireland Housing ...

• The District Manager is a member of the Limavady Community Safety
Partnership;
• Neighbourhood Officers monitor and report non occupation and misuse of
houses and have brought a number of dwellings back into stock;
• The Community Warden’s Programme has operated for over a year in the
Glens, Hospital Lane and Coolessan areas of Limavady, and will continue to be
funded by the Housing Executive, the Community Safety Unit and the PSNI. This
is a directed foot patrol service which is aimed at detecting, deterring and
reducing anti-social behaviour. The programme will also be extended to the
town centre and is aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour at weekends and
after pub closing times;
• An innovative £1 million project offering a lifeline for isolated vulnerable and
older people in Limavady area has commenced. The project ‘Be Safe Be Well’
will offer support services and advice to help people living in rural areas feel
more safe and secure and less vulnerable in their homes. Ageing Well Roe
Valley leads the project and works with other agencies and community groups
in the programme delivery.
Our Community Involvement Strategy demonstrates our commitment to giving the
community a voice. We will review the strategy during the year and prepare a
new Community Involvement Strategy 2011-2014.
Local Offers is a regulatory requirement in England but not in Northern Ireland.
However, the Housing Executive is developing pilot ‘local offers’, in one location in
each Area. A local offer is an agreement between the local community and
landlord/s on how a service is delivered. In West Area, a pilot scheme based on
estate inspections is currently being undertaken in Omagh and Cookstown
Districts.
The District Office works with seven community groups and contributes to a wide
range of partnerships and inter-agency groups. The Housing Community Network
(HCN) meets five times annually and during 2010 received presentations on a
number of issues.
As a good practice initiative, meetings are held in different community centres
throughout the district. Topics of discussion have included local offers, engaging
with private landlords and Fire Safety. The Neighbourhood Officer has been
instrumental in implementing the Housing Executive Estate Inspection Took Kit
which has proved to be invaluable in identifying and addressing estate based
issues in Limavady.
Limavady Borough Council in conjunction with Coleraine, Ballymoney, Moyle,
Ballymena and Larne Councils formed a North East Cluster to deliver Priority 1.1 of
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