Housing Minister Nelson McCausland has visited several housing projects in Stuttgart, Germany.

The fact finding mission visited several housing sites which have been refurbished and new build projects. The Minister was accompanied on his visit by representatives of CITB, ConstructionSkills NI, Construction Employers Federation, Federation of Master Builders Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

The Minister said: "This fact-finding visit has proved very educational, with our delegation seeing firsthand a range of sustainable construction methods, renewable energy and environmental standards that have worked successfully in Stuttgart. Germany, like ourselves in Northern Ireland, has a large number of older concrete houses which were badly insulated. I recently launched a ‘no fines’ pilot in Antrim and I was keen to learn from other countries which have successfully tackled a similar situation.

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"The Stuttgart experience was developed through a strong partnership approach between local authorities and the construction industry to improve conditions for householders. During my visit I have seen a range of housing developments, learning about some of the cost-effective and innovative methods that they implemented to help eradicate this problem."

(CD/IT)