Mr. Eddie Taaffe:

That is exceptionally complex. In a lot of cases, local authorities under the urban regeneration and development fund URDF, are beginning to CPO those vacant properties and put them back on the open market for residential use. In some areas, we have to be realistic and accept that the commercial use is no longer viable on that street or in that part of town and allow those properties to go fully residential. Planning sections are allowing that. If we make the realistic assessment that these units were used as shops in the past but are not going to be used as shops in the future, then we should allow them go fully residential. The planning laws should be looked at to make sure this can happen relatively quickly.

Another element is that we have to come up with innovative and cost-effective solutions to issues concerning fire safety and other building regulations to allow residential use to come back into these areas. It is a complex matter. We have to think outside the box a little bit in terms of our regulations and bring life back to those streets. Many local authorities are doing that through their town centre first policies. They are engaging in CPOs where there is no clear landowner left on some of these properties in order to get them back into use. The croí cónaithe grant of up to €70,000 to bring properties back into use and refurbish them has been very successful and is resulting in a lot of these properties coming back into use. Obviously, though, we need to do more, keep the foot on the accelerator and take sensible decisions on what can turn from old commercial into new residential.