Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2026
667. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures in place to accelerate the reuse of vacant and derelict buildings for housing and community purposes; the steps taken to improve delivery timelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6375/26]
View answerWorking to end dereliction and vacancy is a key priority in the Government's new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. The Plan will ensure that the activities and resources used to address vacancy and dereliction are co-ordinated and that legislative powers are used proactively to work to bring dereliction and vacancy to an end.
The range of initiatives and funding mechanisms introduced in recent years are set out in the Vacant Homes Action Plan and they are successfully reducing the levels of vacancy and dereliction right across the country.
A key measure 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 14,900 applications made to local authorities as of Q3 2025 and over €200 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 by end Q1 this year. I have also announced that additional funding for resources of up to €100,000 per annum would be made available to local authorities to support their work tackling vacancy and dereliction.
The CPO Activation Programme, launched in 2023, 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 1990 and the Housing Act 1966, 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 can be accessed at the following link: https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/bdfef028/CPO_Activation_Programme_-_LA_use_of_CPO_powers.pdf.
Call 3 of the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), as well as Social Housing Investment Programme funding, is able to provide the finance required to compulsorily acquire properties in support of a local authority’s wider CPO Activation Programme targets. To date, over 1,370 properties have now been approved for URDF Call 3 programmes, potentially resulting in over 5,600 homes. The Housing Finance Agency can also provide funding to local authorities for these acquisitions.
Delivering Homes, Building Communities reinforces and expands the range of measures being implemented by Government to work to end dereliction and long term vacancy.
As well as the new Above the Shop Grant and other measures, a new Derelict Property Tax will be introduced - to be administered and collected by the Revenue Commissioners - to bring derelict properties back into use.
Under the Living City Initiative, a tax incentive scheme to encourage people to live in ‘special regeneration areas’, tax relief can be claimed for money spent on refurbishing or converting residential or commercial buildings. The aim of the initiative is to bring back life into the heart of the relevant cities and towns by encouraging people to convert suitable properties. Budget 2026 extended the Living City Initiative to 2030 and expanded it to include residential properties built before 1975 and the towns of Athlone, Drogheda, Dundalk, Letterkenny and Sligo.
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 accelerating the reuse of vacant and derelict buildings for housing and community purposes.
