Completion of £5m social housing scheme

Worked has recently been completed on a new £5 million social housing project at Dromore Street in Banbridge.
The new development at Dromore Street in Banbridge.The new development at Dromore Street in Banbridge.
The new development at Dromore Street in Banbridge.

The Dromore Street scheme is unique to the area, forming part of the Department for Communities ‘Together Building a United Community’ developments strategy.

Developed by Dungannon firm FORRME on behalf of Clanmil Housing Association, the development consists of 32 modern social housing units, made up of a mix of new-build houses, apartments and complex needs bungalows.

The vision for TBUC reflects Northern Ireland’s commitment to improving community relations and continuing the journey towards a more united shared society.

Under the programme, residents from different communities are encouraged to come together to live in purpose-built mixed residential spaces.

Mark Currie, FORRME’s MD, said: “Not only do programmes like this deliver sought-after sustainable housing, they also make a valuable contribution to building a united and shared society.

“The project is a regeneration success story – we had to navigate a heavily contaminated brownfield site, which in the end was fully renovated to become an attractive housing commodity for a broad range of residents, ranging from families to the elderly and those in need of disabled-friendly amenities.”

Jonathan Diffin, FORRME’s Site Manager, said working with the local community and wider stakeholders was key to the project’s success.

“At FORMME we believe that the local community are a valuable resource in the redevelopment process and we recognise the importance of keeping them informed on site developments and milestones,” he said.

He added: “During the construction of Dromore Street our team actively raised money for Action Mental Health, Autism NI and Marie Curie by holding a car wash and coffee morning on site.

“We also engaged with younger members of the community by holding art competitions with local schools Banbridge Academy and St Patrick’s College, were the winning pupils had the opportunity to have their artwork displayed on FORRME’s site hoarding and Facebook page.”

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