Councillors in Ards and North Down have been updated on the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's plans and performance, with total investment of £26.35m across the Borough in 2025/26.

On Tuesday 13 October 2026, Caroline Connor, the Housing Executive's Interim Director of Strategic Housing Authority, delivered the annual Housing Investment Plan (HIP) update to local councillors, outlining sector pressures, progress over the past year and priorities for the year ahead.

At the meeting, Caroline Connor said: "Challenges within the housing sector remain significant, especially with regards to improving existing homes, meeting the demand for new homes and for temporary accommodation.

"Our focus is on targeted investment in housing supply, improving the quality of our own homes and providing support to those who need it most - this is essential in improving outcomes for individuals, families and communities.

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"Over recent years, we have been pleased to be able to deliver programmes of improvements to our own homes, including energy efficiency measures.

"During 2025/26 we invested £6.84m in Housing Executive properties and further proposed spend of £10.79m is planned for our homes across the Borough in 2026/27.

"Whilst this is good news to many of our tenants; Councillors have been made aware of the requirement for access to longer term funding streams to be able to continue investing in our homes to a decent standard.

"In relation to new-build, investment in homes in the Borough saw 136 Housing Association units on-site at March 2026.

"Any addition to housing stock is a benefit and we continue to make the case for funding to meet the need and work with Ards and North Down Borough Council and the housing sector to identify opportunities for more development in the years ahead.

"The vital assistance for some of the most vulnerable households in our communities continued throughout the year, with £6.84m invested through the Supporting People programme, enabling 78 services to provide housing support to 1,664 people last year.

"Across the Borough, 793 people who presented as homeless were accepted for support last year - a ringfenced budget for 2025/26 and 2026/27 will help to focus on homelessness prevention and providing the right help at the right time for people who need it.

"We know this is more important than ever when we continue to face deep rooted challenges in the housing sector."