Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Labour Party, I will be happy to continue to support these particular exemptions, the reasons for which are very clear. I agree with Deputy Ó Broin that elements of the exemptions in terms of planning regulations and law may need to take on a degree of permanence. I know there is an ongoing discussion within the Department, and across society and the country more generally, regarding vacancy rates in town centres and villages throughout Ireland and how we can bring more vacant commercial properties back into use for residential purposes.

Any Government that is serious about revitalising our towns and city centres would look in closer detail at the kind of exemptions that might need to be provided to make it easier for a change of use to transform vacant commercial properties into residential use. I looked at some figures earlier. The Minister of State will know commercial vacancy rates hit their highest level in nine years and there are many reasons for that. In total, there were almost 30,000 vacant commercial units dispersed across Ireland in quarter four of 2021. Many of those units could provide decent, affordable and appropriate housing for people throughout the country on council housing waiting lists or who want to buy properties.

As the saying goes, we often only manage what we measure. One of the best ways of measuring vibrancy of our urban centres is through the Heritage Council's collaborative town centre health check scheme. For quite some time, I have asked why the largest town in Ireland and my home town, Drogheda, where I live and which I represent, has not been included in the collaborative town centre health check scheme to date. It is the intention of the Heritage Council to do that, but I believe funding for the scheme is not available and it needs to be. We have serious issues with dereliction and the provision of housing in my constituency, especially in Drogheda and Dundalk.

It has the highest rate of commercial vacancy in County Louth, with nearly 20% of properties lying empty. One of the reasons we could establish that was because of the collaborative town centre health check proposition. That is something we want to do in Drogheda, Ireland's largest town, but we have not managed to do it yet. We need resources to do so.

I am taking this opportunity to speak more generally about planning exemptions, how the system can innovate and how we can think a little more laterally about bringing vacant commercial properties back into use for citizens who need them to have a decent roof over their heads and to revitalise town centres. I know the Minister of State gets that and it is something on which he will wish to focus. I ask him to elaborate on that in his response.

As I stated, the Labour Party is happy to support the continuation of these exemptions. They are in place for obvious reasons and we will continue to support them for as long as they are needed.

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