Greening Social Housing Conference - 26 March 2025

Nature in NI is in crisis, but social landlords can fulfill an important role in its recovery. This event will explore how we can manage existing sites and build new homes to create beautiful spaces where residents and nature can thrive.

With huge biodiversity loss across the UK and Ireland “Homes for Nature” are crucial. Housing associations as large landlords have a key role to play.  Creating homes and spaces for nature promotes and protects biodiversity and also improves tenant wellbeing.  Nature-rich spaces have high amenity value, can be beautiful meeting places for tenants, provide opportunities for physical exercise and foster good mental health, promoting interaction with others as well as providing space for calm.  

As well as being rich homes for flora and fauna, ensuring that we "Develop for Nature" within new housing developments by designing in green spaces and/or gardens, installing swift bricks, rich landscaping plans that include native trees, hedges and leafy landscaping will create enjoyable outdoor spaces and can help to improve air quality which benefits all.  

Making the case for encouraging wildlife and promoting nature should be easy, but we've all become accustomed to manicured grass lawns and chemical weed removal.  Making changes both big and small can make massive differences to, and for, everyone. Changing the way our contractors work to promote pollinators by creating "Grounds for Nature", even though it may take more time or may cost a little more, is worth the benefits that biodiversity brings. 

Many positive steps have already been taken to improve biodiversity, but what more can be done by social landlords to create homes and havens for people and wildlife?

Confirmed speakers include Grainia Long of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive; Neal Hooper from Aico; Dawn Miskelly of Ulster Wildlife; Apex Housing Association's Barry Kerr; Brian Rankin of Choice Housing Ireland Ltd; Suzanne Sinclair (nee Elliott) of Translink; conservationist and ecologist Conor McKinney; and Colin Marks MBA of The Turnaround Project.

Alpha Housing is grateful to Aico, the European market leader in home life safety, and NIFHA - Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations, for helping make this event possible.

Tickets are just £25. To book email info@alphahousingni.org or call 028 9078 7750. Book Now!