Council and Housing Partnerships in County Armagh
If you are a council or housing association looking for new homes in County Armagh, 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 ArmaghTalk 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
Homes we plan around County Armagh
Our County Armagh coverage takes in 3 towns and cities, centred on Portadown and including Lurgan and Armagh. Next door, we also cover County Down, County Antrim and County Tyrone.
When you register for County Armagh, you can choose homes for shared ownership, homes for private rent or accessible and adaptable homes. Planning in County Armagh follows Northern Ireland’s rules: the Strategic Planning Policy Statement sets national policy and the council’s Local Development Plan sets local policy.
Tell us what you need in County Armagh and we will be in touch if homes are released nearby.
What you get in County Armagh
Design and build
We design and build homes on land owned by a council or provider, to its specification and within its procurement rules.
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.
Land-led schemes
We bring forward land for a scheme the provider will own, which can be fully affordable where planning policy and funding allow.
Rules that apply in County Armagh
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 Armagh. 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 Armagh
What is a land-led scheme?
A land-led scheme is one where land is secured and a scheme is planned around a provider's needs, rather than the provider buying a share of homes within a market-led development. It can allow a higher proportion of affordable homes, or a fully affordable scheme, where planning policy and funding support it.
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.
What are Section 106 affordable homes?
They are affordable homes a developer must provide under a Section 106 agreement attached to a planning permission in England or Wales. The agreement sets the number, tenure and often the transfer terms, and the homes are usually sold to a registered provider. Scotland uses Section 75 agreements and Northern Ireland uses Section 76 agreements for similar purposes.
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 Armagh now?
Not yet. Land to Homes has no homes available in County Armagh at the moment. You can register your interest for County Armagh, 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