Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 January 2026
82. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he will support legislation to ensure that vacant or derelict properties in town centres are brought back into active use within defined and enforceable timeframes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2555/26]
View answerWorking to end dereliction and vacancy is a key priority in the Government's new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. The Plan aims to ensure that the activities and resources used to address vacancy and dereliction are co-ordinated and effective and that legislative powers are used proactively to work to bring dereliction and vacancy to an end.
The Vacant Homes Action Plan outlines the range of initiatives and funding mechanisms that have been introduced in recent years and these measures are successfully reducing the levels of vacancy and dereliction across the country, including in town centres.
One of the key measures in the Action Plan is the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, introduced in July 2022. The grant provides up to €70,000 for the refurbishment of vacant and derelict properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent. There has been significant interest in the grant since its launch, with over 15,600 applications made to local authorities as of December 2025 and over €230 million of grant funding paid out across the country. In December, I announced a new enhanced support package of up to €140,000 to bring vacant ‘above shop’ space in our cities, towns and villages into use as homes, which will be made available in Q1 this year.
The CPO Activation Programme was launched in 2023. This requires local authorities to take a proactive, systematic approach to identifying and activating vacant and derelict properties. It includes use of their compulsory purchase powers under the Derelict Sites Act and the Housing Act, when engagement with the owners of these properties is not successful in bringing them back into use.
In October 2025, my Department published data for 2023 and 2024 on the CPO Activation Programme on its website, which includes the number of properties that entered the Programme, the number of compulsory purchase/acquisitions commenced and the number of compulsory purchase/acquisitions completed per local authority. This data can be accessed at the following link: assets.gov.ie/static/documents/bdfef028/CPO_Activation_Programme_-_LA_use_of_CPO_powers.pdf.
Under the Derelict sites Act 1990, local authorities have been provided with a range of powers and measures to deal with the issue of derelict properties. Local authority powers include requiring owners or occupiers to take appropriate measures on derelict sites, acquiring derelict sites by agreement, or compulsorily, and applying a derelict sites levy on derelict sites.
A new Derelict Property Tax was announced in Budget 2026 and it is intended to introduce legislation providing for the tax in 2026. This tax will, when it comes into effect, replace the Derelict Sites Levy and will be collected by the Revenue Commissioners. Updating and maintaining their Derelict Sites/Property Registers will continue to remain the responsibility of local authorities, and Derelict Sites levies that remain outstanding when the new tax is introduced will remain as charges on the land and will be the responsibility of each local authority to collect.
The Government’s ‘Town Centre First’ (TCF) Policy was launched by my Department and the then Department of Rural and Community Development in 2022, and since then, a range of supports and measures to encourage more people to live, do business and visit our town centres have been introduced.
Using the Town Centre First approach, town centres are developed so that they become viable, vibrant and attractive locations for people to live and work in and to visit, while also supporting the retail and economic role of our towns. A network of Town Regeneration Officers in the local government sector assist the delivery of Town Centre First initiatives. These officers lead the local efforts, and collaborate with their colleagues and stakeholders to ensure an integrated approach is taken.
I firmly believe the commitment Government has made to addressing vacancy and dereliction and the actions under Delivering Homes, Building Communities will play a vital role in bringing properties in town centres back into use, and deliver homes across the country.
