Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 23 November 2017

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government

Vacant Housing (Refurbishment) Bill 2017: Discussion

9:30 am

Photo of Dessie EllisDessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Cowen for bringing forward the Bill. We have long been due some sort of joined-up approach in this regard and I have always felt there has been an awful disjoint when it comes to housing, particularly vacant units. I have raised the issue over the years and I keep getting the figure of approximately 4,000 over-shop units, and we have 200,000 or so vacant housing units across the country, but I have never got a figure yet on how many shops are below ground. I have requested this number but I do not think it is included in the figures I have already been given, so we do not have a clear picture. Taking as an example Ballymun, which is the area with which I am most familiar, we have at least 20 to 30 units from the regeneration alone which have been lying idle and blocked up for ten to 15 years. I saw the same thing when I was in Bodenstown. The new shopping centre has been sitting idle for ten to 15 years. It is therefore important we first get a grip on the figures. I do not know whether Deputy Cowen heard what I said.

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