Association could speed up construction of new homes, minister says

A housing association could speed up the creation of new homes on the Isle of Man, a minister has said.

It follow a review's recommendation that an independent body be set up to manage public sector homes.

Lawrie Hooper said a housing association would be "another piece of the puzzle" in creating the right kind of housing to meet demand in each area.

He said local authorities were currently spending "a lot of energy" on refurbishing current stock.

The island could not "afford to wait" until the current social housing properties was brought up to date before new ones were built, he said.

Politicians will be asked to receive the housing stock options report, authored by the David Tolson Partnership Limited, at the October Tynwald sitting.

During a question and answer session on housing at the latest government conference, Lindsay Wood from Jersey's government-owned housing association Andium Homes said the body, which set up 10 years ago, "worked really well".

She said housing stock had "improved" and "more new homes have been delivered" but it had taken "time to deliver".

She said the body, which manages 5,000 rental properties and aims to build 3,000 more homes by 2030, had been able to have a "sole focus" on housing and with the "right governance" had delivered some "really interesting solutions".

Gary Kermode from the Department of Infrastructure said he felt "frustrated" about the length of time it took to for housing developments to progress "within the current structure of government".

An association could be a way to modernise public sector and affordable housing, and the department's stock of 1,200 could be used a "kick-starter", he said.

The report explored the "fundamentals" and the next steps would be to consult with local authorities which own their own housing stock and get a "full picture of the financial and legislative" requirements of creating a Manx housing association, Mr Kermode said.

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