Ms Orla Hegarty:

I am supportive of streamlining regulations and the regulatory process for the reuse of existing buildings for housing. In fact, it has been approximately five and a half years since I first appeared before this committee on this issue. I was also here for pre-legislative scrutiny on a Private Member's Bill in relation to it a couple of years later. This issue has therefore been around for quite a while. There are technical solutions that are pragmatic and worth doing. Again, it is important that we have strong, independent quality controls on that process. It would not be feasible to demolish every building that exists. Many buildings have been successfully occupied for 100 or 200 years in this country. They should continue to be occupied. We can also re-occupy many of the buildings that are underused. There was mention earlier of the vacancies that have come up in the census. However, that does not count buildings that are not in residential use. There are upwards of 30,000 commercial addresses that are vacant.

These could successfully be converted with the right regulatory framework and controls, which have previously been a barrier to the over-the-shop and other schemes.