South and East Belfast Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

Ó Donnghaile calls on Margaret Ritchie to support the community's call for social homes on the Sirocco site.

Published: 12 May, 2008

Sinn Féin's East Belfast Representative Niall Ó Donnghaile has today written to the Minister for Social Development Margaret Ritchie MLA asking her to endorse the community in East Belfast's calls for social housing to be included on the former Sirocco Works site on the Short Strand in East Belfast.

He said,

"Sinn Féin has been engaging with the owners of the Sirocco site, the Carvill Group for almost two years now and has been stressing the very real need and desire for social housing to be included within their development of Sirocco."

"We were greatly disappointed that no mention of social units was made within the plans submitted for Sirocco to the planning service. I have today written to Margaret Ritchie asking her, as Minister for Social Development to endorse the communities in East Belfast calls for the necessary amount of social units to be developed within Sirocco."

"This £600 million development is taking place within the 9th most socio-economically deprived ward in the North of Ireland, it is vitally important that the established and historical communities feel a part of this development and indeed sees tangible benefits to their lives as a result of the development of Sirocco."

"I look forward to the Minister's response and hope she will join with us in our call, that this regeneration project should help regenerate the whole of East Belfast."