Arbour Housing is investing more than £8 million to retrofit 600 homes across the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area, with support from Ulster Bank.

Tenants living in older properties will benefit from heating upgrades, improved windows and doors, and the installation of solar panels.

Arbour Housing is among the first housing associations in Northern Ireland to access a £5 million Housing Green Retrofit loan from Ulster Bank, guaranteed by the National Wealth Fund (NWF), and the first facility of its type to be completed within NatWest Group. The loan forms part of NatWest's £500 million lending initiative for social housing retrofit, which is backed by up to £400 million of NWF guarantees to accelerate energy-efficiency improvements.

NatWest Group has also announced an updated £10 billion funding package for the UK social housing sector before the end of 2028. When deployed, this would bring the Group's total social housing funding since 2018 to more than £35 billion. Through this ambition, the Group, including Ulster Bank, aims to support the delivery and maintenance of affordable homes and continue its long-standing work with not‑for‑profit housing associations across the UK.

Welcoming the investment, Will Chambré, Chair of Arbour Housing, said: "I am extremely proud that Arbour Housing is taking the lead by making a significant investment to demonstrate our commitment to helping meet Northern Ireland's climate change targets and providing our tenants with quality homes.

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"By improving the energy efficiency of our homes, we are helping our tenants to live more comfortably and sustainably, sharing the benefits of lower energy costs and reduced carbon emissions across our communities, and growing a housing stock that is fit for the future. We are grateful for the expert and dedicated support from Ulster Bank in helping Arbour Housing to deliver a project that adds real, social, environmental and long-term value."

Kenton Hilman, Head of Corporate Banking at Ulster Bank says: "We are very pleased to support Arbour Housing with this important investment. This demonstrates how government-backed guarantees and private investment can work together to reduce the cost of decarbonisation, deliver meaningful environmental and social impact, supporting a greener future for communities across Northern Ireland."

Ollie Hughes, Northern Ireland Director of Banking and Investments for the National Wealth Fund, said: "By supporting NatWest's £500 million lending initiative, we're helping to accelerate vital investment into the social housing retrofit sector. This loan is a great example, helping Arbour Housing to provide communities in Northern Ireland with warmer and more eco-friendly homes."

In announcing the £10 billion commitment, Paul Thwaite, CEO NatWest Group said: "We are incredibly proud to announce the early achievement of our £7.5 billion UK social housing lending ambition. Delivering this milestone a full year ahead of schedule demonstrates our commitment to making a real difference in people's lives by investing in the homes and communities that need it most, and shows the demand in the market.

"Reaching this lending ambition early has enabled us to set a new target of £10 billion to year-end 2028, so we can continue to provide social housing lending and play our part in supporting the development and availability of affordable and social rent homes across the UK."

The announcement sits within the bank's new five-point Growing Together plan, which outlines support for regional growth, mid‑market companies, infrastructure and housing, financial confidence among families and young people, and innovation across the future economy.

Under the initiative, the NWF will guarantee 80% of each retrofit loan originated by NatWest Group, up to £500 million in loans and a total guarantee commitment of up to £400 million. This is intended to mobilise private capital at scale and at competitive pricing for registered providers of social housing. Eligible retrofit measures include energy-efficient heating and lighting, insulation, renewable energy generation, ventilation and heating controls, alongside resilience and biodiversity works.