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Black's Gate Crescent, Belfast

Lynsey Hanley visits 28-year-old Katrina who's just moved into her brand new house in west Belfast, an affordable home built on a brownfield site.

Lynsey Hanley visits 28-year-old Katrina who's just moved into her brand new house in west Belfast, an affordable home built on a brownfield site.

Katrina is thrilled with her new three-bed home. Constructed on the the former Visteon car manufacturing site, the Black's Gate development features hundred of new affordable homes in an area with a significant shortage of homes.

Every home has a story to tell about the UK's housing crisis. Old industrial sites appear to offer an answer to Britain's housing shortage. But as Lynsey discovers speaking to the site's developer, Radius Housing, building on brownfield sites is not without its challenges.

House historian Melanie Backe-Hansen looks at the history of the site, and Professor Paul Cheshire of the London School of Economics looks at the issues surrounding building on industrial land.

Producer: Laurence Grissell

Available now

14 minutes

Last on

Sun 21 Nov 2021 14:45

Broadcasts

  • Thu 7 Oct 2021 13:45
  • Sun 21 Nov 2021 14:45