Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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305. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the uptake of the croí cónaithe scheme nationally and in each county. [56739/22]

Darragh 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 real 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.

In July, I launched the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant as part of the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund. The grant benefits those who wish to turn a formerly vacant house or building into their principal private residence. The grant was initially launched in respect of vacant properties in towns and villages but I am pleased to say that as of the 15 November,  the expanded grant also includes eligible vacant properties in both cities and rural areas (in addition to those in towns and villages, which have been eligible since July). gov.ie/en/press-release/969fb-vacant-property-refurbishment-grant-expanded-to-cities-and-remote-rural-areas/

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.

In 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  has been very positive, with 419 applications reported to date. In order for applications to be assessed and a decision made, specified supporting documentation must be submitted with the application and a site visit carried out by the local authority to asses the works being applied for. In some cases this may involve the local authority reverting to the applicant for additional information. It is intended that in future data on the scheme will be published on the Department's website on a regular basis.  

The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme is a fund to support the building of apartments for sale to owner-occupiers. Rising apartment construction costs have generated a “Viability Gap” between the cost of building apartments and the market sale price, a gap which the scheme was created, and is designed to, bridge.  It will kick-start apartment developments that might not otherwise be developed.

The scheme is a key initiative of Pathway 3 of Housing for All, focused on increasing new housing supply and making additional choices available to home buyers in our urban cores. 

Croí Cónaithe Cities will help to tackle climate change, reduce vacancy and dereliction and help to meet the strong demand for urban living.

In May 2022, Expressions of Interest (EoI) were invited by the Housing Agency from proposers with planning permission to build apartment developments in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.

On receipt of applications in June, the Housing Agency has been actively undertaking the various appraisal stages (3) which deal with the i) eligibility of proposals ii) ranking of suitable proposals and iii) a detailed due diligence process leading to eligibility (the current stage of progress).

Alongside this, the Croí Cónaithe (Cities) scheme is currently subject of an application in respect of State Aid to the EU’s Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP) with a decision due shortly. 

Until that live process has concluded, and due to the on-going commercial sensitivity surrounding the live assessment process, it is not possible to comment any further on specific details until such a time the process has concluded.