In June 2025, the Department for Communities (DfC) launched its consultation on Shaping Sustainable Places (SSP), a long-term and cross-departmental regeneration programme for Northern Ireland’s villages, towns and city centres.
RSUA submitted a response ahead of the consultation deadline on 21 September 2025. Thanks go to members Caroline Best, Gerry Boyle, Gavin Burns, Ciaran Mackel, Lorna Magee, Roisin McCann, Meabh Morgan, Marcin Piotrowicz, Dawson Stelfox and Christopher Upson for their assistance in its preparation.
Ambitions and objectives
RSUA welcomes the ambitions set out in the Ministerial Foreword of the SSP to tackle vacancy and dereliction through adaptive reuse and to foster vibrant and resilient villages, towns and city centres.
We noted, however, that it remained unclear how the NI Executive intended to achieve these aims without strong behavioural incentives, adequate funding or new measures to ensure effective coordination across government departments.
Sizing up the challenge
RSUA highlighted that in the first year of SSP it would be valuable for the NI Executive to give councils and Community Planning Partnerships a clearer picture of decline in their built environment, helping them prioritise interventions.
We suggested a publicly accessible online record of derelict and dilapidated buildings, building on DfC’s Heritage at Risk Register. This could highlight properties needing attention and showcase opportunities for investment and regeneration.
Reforming the rating system
RSUA highlighted that while funding through initiatives such as SSP can support regeneration, the NI Executive also needs to introduce clear incentives to encourage positive behaviours. Reforming the rating system could play a key role.
Firstly, the rating system should incentivise the return of vacant buildings to use by rewarding those who occupy them and penalising those who leave them empty.
Secondly, we emphasised that rates should encourage the repair and maintenance of derelict or dilapidated properties, offering relief to new owners committed to this work and imposing higher charges on those who allow such buildings to deteriorate.
Using design competitions to drive regeneration
By its own admission, SSP’s initial ten-year fund of £165 million “will fall far short of the need of all village, town and city centres”. RSUA suggested that this limited funding could be used strategically to first demonstrate how transformation of the built environment can be achieved, with a strong emphasis on design quality.
We stated that the most effective way to do this may be to launch a series of public design competitions over the next decade, working with architects to create around five social or affordable housing developments of four to ten units across Northern Ireland.
These competitions could provide fully realised examples of regeneration that both inform the NI Executive of best practice and make a tangible contribution to their respective communities.
Clarifying alignment with other regeneration efforts
RSUA remarked that SSP is one of several initiatives the NI Executive has developed in recent years to help arrest decline and stimulate revitalisation.
We suggested that the NI Executive develop and publish a mapping exercise showing how SSP aligns with existing efforts. This could help clarify the distribution of responsibilities within government, both to itself and the public.
Coordination via the introduction of City and Council Architects
RSUA believes that addressing the significant challenge of arresting decline in our built environment would be best coordinated through the introduction of City and Council Architects to Northern Ireland.
These experts could help bring together areas such as rating policy, planning policy, regeneration funding, listed building regulations, climate change commitments and the work of local councils.
RSUA’s full response can be accessed here.
If you have any questions or comments about our response, please contact Curtis Large, RSUA Policy and Public Affairs Officer, at curtis@rsua.org.uk
