Rural Review

Rural Review Annual Progress Report on the Implementation of the Housing Executive Rural Action Plan
2.0 Improving Existing Properties
covers actions involving:
• the improvement of housing conditions for example through
the grants system;
• the promotion of energy efficiency in rural areas.
2.1
2.2
2.3
What we set out to do between
2009/10 and 2012/13
As part of the overall Housing Executive Grants
Strategy, review Replacement Grant policy.
Evaluate the Living Over The Shops (LOTS)
scheme in four pilot rural areas.
Target home improvement measures in
identified Rural Priority Areas.
What’s been done to date?
It was made clear in our published Rural Action Plan that a number of planned actions could only proceed if funding
became available during the three year timescale of the Plan. These three planned actions (2.1-2.3) have not been
able to proceed due to funding shortfalls. Rural Priority Areas are not in operation at present and Replacement Grants
are only possible in exceptional cases; similarly our work on the ‘Living Over the Shops’ scheme has been curtailed for
budgetary reasons.
2.4 Continue to participate in and support the
Western Investing for Health (IFH) project on
‘Maximising Access to Services for Older People’.
2.5 Continue to roll out the Houses in Multiple
Occupation (HMO) registration scheme
particularly targeting those District Councils
with significant rural areas.
The Western IFH project (which was part funded by the Housing Executive) demonstrated the practical benefits of
the public sector working closely with the community sector to assist vulnerable rural households. Following its
completion, a regional programme was developed to implement this approach across Northern Ireland. The Housing
Executive sits on the Advisory/Steering Groups overseeing the regional project which has been rolled out by the Public
Health Agency and funded by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. It has led to visits to over 4,000
rural dwellers across Northern Ireland. These visits identify what households may be entitled to and provide help with
accessing benefits, grants and local services.
During 2010/11, we have continued to highlight the requirement for owners of HMOs to register their properties under
the statutory registration scheme. At 31 March 2011, 62 rural properties registered under the registration scheme,
compared to 50 at the same stage last year. Efforts will continue to identify rural HMOs and enforce statutory HMO
requirements in the year ahead.
2.6 Implement a rural-urban monitor in the new
Warm Homes Scheme and similar energy
programmes.
The Warm Homes scheme offers a range of insulation measures to home owners and private tenants (receiving certain
‘qualifying benefits’) and is designed to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. In order to ensure that rural
dwellers receive an appropriate share of scheme installations, a regular monitor has been established which shows that
during 2010/11, there were almost 1,650 Warm Homes installations in rural areas (i.e. 40% of all installations).
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