Council and Housing Partnerships in Castlereagh
If you are a council or housing association looking for new homes in Castlereagh, 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.
Castlereagh · BT5Talk 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
New homes around Castlereagh
Castlereagh (BT5) is one of the County Down towns we cover, about 11 miles south-west of Bangor (County Down). Nearby, we also cover Belfast, Newtownabbey and Lisburn, all within 7 miles.
Registrations for Castlereagh cover homes for affordable rent, homes for private rent and homes for shared ownership. In Northern Ireland, where Castlereagh 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 Castlereagh and we will be in touch if homes are released nearby.
Our approach in Castlereagh
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.
Planning obligation homes
The affordable homes required by a Section 106, Section 75 or Section 76 agreement, designed with a provider and transferred 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.
How the rules work in Castlereagh
Social homes in Castlereagh are built mainly by registered housing associations through the Social Housing Development Programme. The Department for Communities funds the programme and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive manages it, assessing need and drawing up a rolling three-year plan. Housing associations are regulated by the Department for Communities. Land to Homes can bring forward land and build homes for housing association partners.
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.
| Local planning document | Local Development Plan (LDP), made up of a Plan Strategy and a Local Policies Plan |
|---|---|
| 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. |
Common questions in Castlereagh
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.
Can you help a community land trust or community-led group?
Potentially, yes. Community-led schemes often need land, planning and construction support, which is what we provide. The right structure depends on the group, the land and any funding available. We can discuss land options, a design and build arrangement or homes delivered within a wider scheme, with each party taking its own legal advice.
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.
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.
Are there new homes available in Castlereagh now?
Not yet. Land to Homes has no homes available in Castlereagh at the moment. You can register your interest for Castlereagh, 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