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Just one new home under construction has been completed in Carrickfergus this year, a report presented to Mid and East Antrim Council’s Planning Committee has said.

According to the council’s Housing Land Availability Report, from October 1, 2022 until May 31, 262 new homes were completed in the borough.

Of these, 51 per cent was constructed in Ballymena, 21 per cent in Larne, one per cent in Carrickfergus and 27 per cent in the borough’s small towns.

The report advises, however, that although a number of properties were under construction in Carrickfergus during this eight-month period, they were not fully completed at the time of the survey.

Just one new home under construction has been completed in Carrickfergus this year, a report presented to Mid and East Antrim Council’s Planning Committee has said. Picture: Unsplash

There were 212 house completions in Carrickfergus in 2022.

In Larne, 55 were completed this year compared to 38 in 2022. In Ballymena, 133 homes were built this year with 158 completed in 2022.

There were no houses completed in Ahoghill or Broughshane this year but 11 in Whitehead, eight in Cullybackey and four in Greenisland.

There were 22 completed in Ahoghill last year, 16 in Broughshane, 15 in Cullybackey, 50 in Greenisland and one in Whitehead.

Portglenone had the highest number of new-builds in Mid and East Antrim’s villages this year with 29 and 15 in Kells/Connor.

Last year, there were 26 in Carnlough, 23 in Portglenone, 13 in Ballycarry and also in Glynn.

The Housing Executive has predicted that 856 new social housing properties will be needed in Mid and East Antrim by 2027.

Of these, the organisation says that 371 are required in Ballymena; 152 in Carrickfergus town; 75 in Larne town; 42 in Whitehead; 38 in Greenisland; 18 in Carnlough and four in Glenarm.

The Housing Investment Plan 2023-26 showed that 1,296 households in Mid and East Antrim were homeless at the end of March. There were almost 3,000 applicants on the housing waiting list in the borough, of whom, 2,076 were “in housing stress”.

During 2022/23, 60 social housing homes were completed across the council area and 473 units were under construction at end of March.

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Meanwhile, the Housing Land Availability Report notes a “significant housing capacity” remaining in each of the borough’s three main towns – Ballymena, Larne and Carrickfergus.

It has indicated 2,141 potential units remaining in Ballymena, 2,322 in Carrickfergus, and Larne, 1,995.

Only one new house completed in Carrickfergus this year, councillors told