Housing Minister Nelson McCausland has confirmed the selection of Springfarm in Antrim for a pilot set up to find a solution to insulation issues in 'No Fines' housing.

'No Fines' properties are older houses built with single skinned pre-cast concrete walls, without a cavity. The Minister made his announcement during a visit to several 'No fines' properties in Springfarm, Antrim, where he met with members of the S-IMPLER partnership which is a new initiative designed to achieve effective and economical retro insulation of solid wall homes.

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The Minister said: "The problem of 'No Fines' properties is not only a major issue locally an estimated 5,600 such houses built in the province and there are also over 300,000 such cases in Great Britain.

"At a time when home heating costs are at an all time high, these notoriously hard to heat homes present a major challenge not only for their tenants and their families but also place an onus on government to tackle this blight.

"I am committed to finding a cost-effective solution to this problem and some initial pilot study work has already been done in the Coleraine area. In working with the Housing Executive the S-IMPLER partnership will take forward this innovative pilot in seven affected homes in the Springfarm area of Antrim.

"The pilot will assess a number of potential methods to insulate such houses and is due to report back next June with their findings and, I look forward to their final recommendations."

(CD/JP)