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28 September 2004

NORTHERN IRELAND HOUSING STATISTICS 2003-04

Recent trends in housing are revealed in ‘Northern Ireland Housing Statistics 2003-04’, a report published today by the Department for Social Development.

Some of its key findings include:

  1. There were approximately 679,200 dwellings in Northern Ireland at 31 March 2004, a rise of 6,000 (1%) on March 2003.
  2. Owner-occupied dwellings accounted for 494,200, i.e. 77.1% of total occupied stock (641,400).
  3. 9,502 residential planning applications were granted, an increase of 4.6% on 2002-03.
    4.
  4. 13,811 new dwellings were started during 2003-04, of which 92% were commissioned by the private sector.
  5. 17,150 households presented as homeless, a rise of 4.4% on 2002-03.
  6. Total number of Northern Ireland Housing Executive tenancies decreased from 102,834 at March 2003, to stand at 96,507 at 31 March 2004.
  7. The number of dwellings sold by Northern Ireland Housing Executive decreased by 6.3% from the previous year, to 5,770 for 2003-04.
  8. 2,077 actions for mortgage possession were recorded for 2003-04, an increase of 25.5% from the previous year.
  9. The average price of new National House Building Council-registered houses sold during 2003-04, was £108,000 (provisional), an increase of 10%.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

  1. Northern Ireland Housing Statistics is produced annually by the Statistics and Research Branch (Core) of the Department for Social Development. It contains information on housing stock, market activity, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and Housing Associations and the private rented sector. Provisional and revised figures are indicated by (P) and (R).
  2. Data for new house sales and price are derived from transactions for new private sector and Housing Associations dwellings notified by solicitors to the National House Building Council (NHBC).
  3. Details of all new housing starts for the private sector are supplied by the Building Control Offices for each of the 26 district council areas. Data for the social rented sector are provided by NIHE and the Housing Associations Branch of the Department for Social Development
  4. Key facts from Housing Statistics 2003-04 are available on the Department for Social Development’s website at: www.dsdni.gov.uk/statistics-research/housing-statistics.asp.
  5. Enquiries should be addressed to the Statistics & Research Branch (Core), Department for Social Development, Block 4.3, Castle Buildings,

BT4 3SJ. Telephone - 028 9052 2767; Fax - 028 9052 2763;

E-mail - Pauline.Ryan@dsdni.gov.uk

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Pauline