Council and Housing Partnerships in County Antrim
If you are a council or housing association looking for new homes in County Antrim, there are several ways to work with Land to Homes. We can sell you completed homes on a site we control, bring forward land for a scheme you will own, build on your land under a design and build contract, or deliver the affordable homes a planning agreement requires.
County AntrimTalk to us about a partnership
Tell us about your organisation and the homes you need.
Prefer to talk? Call 0800 088 6248.
- Private conversationsEvery arrangement documented
- Land to homesLand, planning and construction
- Housing partnersCouncils and housing associations
- No public offerNothing here is an offer to invest
- UK-wideEngland, Wales, Scotland and NI
Registering for homes in County Antrim
We cover 7 places across County Antrim: Belfast is the main one, alongside Carrickfergus, Ballymena and Antrim. Next door, we also cover County Down, County Armagh and County Londonderry.
Registrations for County Antrim cover larger family homes, homes for private rent and homes for affordable rent. In Northern Ireland, where County Antrim sits, planning decisions are made by the 11 district councils, with the Department for Infrastructure deciding regionally significant applications.
Tell us what you need in County Antrim and we will be in touch if homes are released nearby.
Our approach in County Antrim
Clear agreements
Every partnership is set out in a written agreement covering the programme, specification, payment stages and handover.
Standards agreed up front
Provider design standards, space standards and energy targets are agreed at the start, so the homes are ready to transfer on completion.
Package deals
We sell completed affordable homes on a site we control to a registered provider, with the mix, design and price agreed before construction starts.
Funding conditions in mind
We plan schemes around the conditions of the relevant funding programme, although grant is applied for and held by the council or provider.
Rules that apply in County Antrim
In Northern Ireland, housing associations find sites and develop schemes under the Social Housing Development Programme, while the Housing Executive assesses housing need in areas such as County Antrim. Councils' Local Development Plans can also require affordable homes on private developments, secured through a Section 76 planning agreement. Land to Homes can supply land, design and construction, or deliver completed homes for transfer to a registered housing association.
In Northern Ireland, housing associations regulated by the Department for Communities deliver most new social homes through the Social Housing Development Programme, managed by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. Developer-led schemes can include homes sold to associations, and Section 76 planning agreements can secure affordable housing where the local development plan requires it.
| National planning policy | Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS, Edition 2), applied with retained Planning Policy Statements until each council adopts its Plan Strategy |
|---|---|
| Local planning document | Local Development Plan (LDP), made up of a Plan Strategy and a Local Policies Plan |
| Who decides applications | The 11 district councils, with the Department for Infrastructure deciding regionally significant applications |
| In-principle consent | Outline planning permission, with reserved matters approved later |
| Land transaction tax (paid by the buyer) | Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) |
| Land registration | Land & Property Services (Land Registry and Registry of Deeds) |
| How a sale becomes binding | A land sale becomes legally binding when contracts signed by both parties are exchanged and finishes on completion, with the title registered in the Land Registry at Land & Property Services. |
| Developer contributions | Section 76 planning agreements under the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (there is no Community Infrastructure Levy) |
Questions about Council and Housing Partnerships in County Antrim
Who applies for grant funding for affordable homes?
Usually the housing association or council, because public grant for affordable housing is normally paid to them under programmes run by Homes England, the Greater London Authority, the Welsh Government, the Scottish Government or, in Northern Ireland, the Housing Executive's Social Housing Development Programme. We plan schemes with the relevant funding conditions in mind.
Can you build on land a council or housing association already owns?
Yes. Under a design and build arrangement, we design and construct homes on land the council or provider owns, to its specification and standards. Contracts follow the client's procurement rules, which may mean a framework, a tender or another compliant route. We discuss the approach early so the scheme fits the client's governance.
What is a package deal for affordable housing?
A package deal is where a developer sells completed affordable homes on a site it controls to a housing association or other registered provider. The mix, design, specification and price are agreed before the homes are built, and the provider takes ownership on completion. Package deals are often how affordable homes required by a planning permission are delivered.
How do council land disposals work?
When a council sells or leases land for housing, it usually has legal duties around obtaining value and must follow its own disposal and procurement rules. Disposals may be marketed openly, offered through a development partner process or tendered. Land to Homes responds to opportunities where the terms suit, following the process the council sets.
Are there new homes available in County Antrim now?
Not yet. Land to Homes has no homes available in County Antrim at the moment. You can register your interest for County Antrim, and we will contact you if we bring homes forward there or nearby.
Read more: Council and Housing Association Partnerships · Guide: How affordable and social homes are delivered across the UK