Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader and Chair of the Assembly's Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee, Diana Armstrong MLA, has welcomed the passing of the Dilapidation Bill at Final Stage, while calling on the Minister to bring forward a funding programme so councils can use their new powers.

Diana Armstrong said:

“There is not a person in Northern Ireland who cannot picture a building near them that has been left to rot. It might be the old shop on the corner, a burnt-out house that nobody has touched in years, or a site that was cleared for development and then simply abandoned. In Fermanagh and South Tyrone I deal with these cases constantly, and in recent weeks I have been working on unused waste ground that has become a real nuisance for the community around it.

“What frustrates people most is the powerlessness. Communities watch a building decline year after year, hoping somebody will come along and restore it, and too often nobody does. These sites undermine confidence in a town, they attract anti-social behaviour, and some are a genuine risk to public safety.

“This Bill gives councils a modern and consistent framework to deal with that. It replaces very limited powers with a graduated set of notices, so councils can step in early rather than waiting until a building becomes dangerous, and it lets them recover their costs where they have had to act.

“From my time on the Economy Committee I saw how much dereliction deters investment. A business looking at a high street sees the empty units before it sees anything else.

“I want to acknowledge the scrutiny behind this. The AERA Committee held fourteen oral evidence sessions before reporting, and the Minister agreed to key amendments and a new review clause. I pay tribute to my predecessor Robbie Butler and to members from all parties for that work.

“My one concern though is that powers without resources achieve nothing. Councils will need the money, the staff and the expertise to use this legislation. I would urge the Minister to bring forward a funding programme so that this Bill delivers on the ground rather than sitting on a shelf.”