Written answers

Tuesday, 8 November 2022

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Vacant Properties

Photo of Peadar TóibínPeadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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409. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of persons who have availed of the vacant property refurbishment grant in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [55252/22]

Photo of Peadar TóibínPeadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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410. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount of money that has been paid out under the vacant property refurbishment grant scheme in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [55253/22]

Photo of Peadar TóibínPeadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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411. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if any local authorities have drawn down money under the vacant property refurbishment grant scheme; and if so, if he will list the local authorities, the amount of grants and the total funding that each received in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022, in tabular form. [55254/22]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 409 to 411, inclusive, together.

Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. Many areas of cities, towns and villages of all sizes face the blight of vacant properties, which, if brought back into use, could add vibrancy and provide new accommodation in those areas. The Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund is a key initiative which underpins these policy objectives set out in Pathway Four of Housing for All.

Schemes under the Fund, which are delivered by local authorities, provide new choices for people to live in towns and villages in Ireland, through the provision of a grant to support the refurbishment of vacant properties and by providing serviced sites in towns and villages to people in order to build their own homes.

On the 14 July 2022, I launched the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, funded by the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund. The grant will benefit those who wish to turn a formerly vacant house or building into their principal private residence. A grant of up to a maximum of €30,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence, including the conversion of a property which has not previously been used as residential. Where the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of up to €30,000, a maximum top-up grant amount of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed to be derelict, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €50,000.

When the Fund was launched, I committed to ongoing reviews of the schemes under it. Given that Pathway 4 of Housing for All is intended to support re-use of existing buildings and the synergy with the Government's Our Rural Future policy, I do see the sense in extending the eligibility for the scheme to vacant properties in both our cities and rural areas to ensure we are using our existing housing stock to the fullest extent possible. In that context, I am pleased to say that the Government has decided to extend the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant and I expect to have that extension to cities and rural properties in place in the coming weeks.

Vacant Homes Officers in each local authority will be available to provide advice and information on the schemes and the application process.

Feedback on the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant to date has been very positive, with 392 applications reported at the start of November. As the Grant was only recently launched, no data is available before July 2022. Data in relation to breakdown of applications and draw down of funding is currently being collated and this will begin to published on the Department's website in the near future.

Photo of David StantonDavid Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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412. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when he expects that vacant property refurbishment scheme applications will be accepted for rural properties under the extended croí cónaithe towns fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55259/22]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. Many areas of cities, towns and villages of all sizes face the blight of vacant properties, which, if brought back into use, could add vibrancy and provide new accommodation in those areas. The Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund is a key initiative which underpins these policy objectives set out in Pathway Four of Housing for All.

Schemes under the Fund, which are delivered by local authorities, provide new choices for people to live in towns and villages in Ireland, through the provision of a grant to support the refurbishment of vacant properties and by providing serviced sites in towns and villages to people in order to build their own homes.

On the 14 July, I launched the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, funded by the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund. The grant will benefit those who wish to turn a formerly vacant house or building into their principal private residence. A grant of up to a maximum of €30,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence, including the conversion of a property which has not previously been used as residential. Where the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of up to €30,000, a maximum top-up grant amount of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed to be derelict, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €50,000.

On 21 September, I launched the Ready to Build Scheme, also funded by the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund. Under the Ready to Build Scheme, local authorities will make serviced sites in towns and villages available to potential individual purchasers to build their homes. These sites will be available at a discount on the market value of the site for the building of a property for occupation as the principal private residence of the purchaser.

When the Fund was launched, I committed to ongoing reviews of the schemes under it. Feedback on the Vacant Property Refurbishment Scheme to date has been very positive, with 392 applications reported at the start of November.

Given that Pathway 4 of Housing for All is intended to support re-use of existing buildings and the synergy with the Government's Our Rural Future policy, I do see the sense in extending the eligibility for the scheme to vacant properties in both our cities and rural areas to ensure we are using our existing housing stock to the fullest extent possible. In that context, I am pleased to say that the Government has decided to extend the Vacant Property Refurbishment Scheme and I expect to have that extension to cities and rural properties in place in the coming weeks.

Vacant Homes Officers in each local authority will be available to provide advice and information on the schemes and the application process.

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