Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

651. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the vacant homes strategy will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3181/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Preparatory work on the vacant home strategy was undertaken by a working group chaired by the Housing Agency which also comprised senior representatives from my Department, local authorities, the Irish Council for Social Housing and from the Housing Agency itself. My Department received the output of the working group in June 2017 and is presently further developing the strategy with a view to publishing it in the near future.

In advance of formal publication, it should be noted that a significant number of measures to incentivise the increased use of vacant housing stock have already been introduced which are being progressed by my Department and local authorities. These measures include:

- requiring all local authorities to develop Vacant Homes Action Plans for their functional areas by end January 2018;

- requiring local authorities to designate Vacant Homes Officers to co-ordinate local actions to address vacancy (the majority of local authorities now have a designated Vacant Homes Officer in place);

- the ongoing implementation of the Repair and Leasing Scheme, the Buy and Renew Scheme, and the Housing Agency Acquisitions Fund for the purchase of vacant buy-to-let properties from financial institutions;

- the review of planning legislation to allow the change of use of vacant commercial units in urban areas, including vacant or under-utilised areas over ground-floor premises, into residential units without having to go through the planning process. Draft regulations to give effect to this measure were laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 13 December 2017 and it is intended that the new regulations, which - as set out in the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended - require the approval of both Houses, will be made as soon as possible; and work on further streamlining, and providing guidance on, the building control regulatory requirements in relation to the conversion of vacant premises (including vacant over the shops spaces) into residential use.  

As part of their vacant homes action plans, local authorities are also undertaking local surveys to ascertain up-to-date vacancy levels within their functional areas. Actions plans received to date from local authorities indicate that the level of vacant homes is significantly less than that set out in Census 2016, which was in essence, a snapshot at a particular point in time, i.e. end April 2016. In this regard, it is considered that a significant number of those vacant units contained in the Census 2016 data have, given the passage of time since its collation, been re-introduced as viable housing stock, including homes that were subject to short-term vacancies that normally occur in a properly functioning housing market, e.g. the house may have been placed on the market for sale or to let, it may have been temporarily vacant while undergoing refurbishment works, or it may have been subject to legal or probate procedures.

The Department is currently liaising with relevant stakeholders to agree a robust methodology to assess vacancy for inclusion in the national vacant homes strategy. The local vacant homes actions plans - which, as mentioned, are due to be submitted by the end of January 2018 - will inform the finalisation of the strategy in terms of setting further actions and targets, and it is proposed to publish the strategy as soon as possible thereafter.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

652. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the position regarding the vacant homes website established in 2017; if it has resulted in the turnaround of homes for new use to date; if targets have been set; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3182/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

A dedicated website, www.vacanthomes.ie, was established by Mayo County Council in July 2017 on behalf of the local government sector to serve as a central portal for individuals to anonymously log possible vacant homes and to alert local authorities so that they can then follow up with the registered owners, with a view to ascertaining the potential for bringing these homes into productive use for residential purposes.

This source of locally generated information is proving useful in supplementing the country-wide analysis on vacancy and in mobilising communities to assist local authorities in developing and implementing a targeted approach. The website also provides useful information for property owners on how to bring their vacant properties back into use and on available financial supports.

To date, Mayo County Council has indicated that the website has received notifications of potential vacant homes across the country as follows:

- 1,515 properties have been registered on the website, mostly by individual citizens and local groups; 

- 55% of the logged properties are located in Leinster, where housing demand is highest, with 28% logged in Munster, 14% in Connacht and 3% in Ulster;

- once unknown properties are disregarded, 84% of the logged properties have been vacant for more than 24 months;

- in terms of property types logged on the website, 35% are detached, 29% are semi detached, 27% are terraced, with flats and apartments accounting for 9%.

A number of local authorities have publicly acknowledged the usefulness of the website in helping to bring vacant properties back into use, for example: -

- Louth County Council has credited it with identifying over 30 homes in its functional area which have been deemed suitable for social housing, with a number of these homes already in the Council’s ownership or in the process of being taken into the council's ownership for social housing use;

- a number of other local authorities have indicated similar experiences arising from the website;

- a number of properties have been identified as suitable to avail of the repair and leasing scheme, with work ongoing towards bringing these properties into use for private rental purposes in 2018;

- owners of vacant homes who are living abroad have made direct contact with the website with a view to bringing their respective vacant properties back into use. 

While specific targets for 2018 have not been set for the website, Mayo County Council hopes to:

- increase the number of logged properties on the site throughout the year;

- identify, with the assistance of local authorities, more owners of vacant homes in order to bring increasing numbers of vacant homes back into use;

- provide further assistance and support, in consultation with my Department's Vacant Homes Unit, on bringing further vacant residential units back into use; and

- work with other agencies and bodies in targeting high vacancy areas and reduce the number of vacant homes throughout the country.