Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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268. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of people working in his Department's vacant homes unit. [20293/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 265 and 268 together.

Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock.

The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use. A grant of up to a maximum of €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent.

Where the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of up to €50,000, a maximum top-up grant amount of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed by the applicant to be derelict or where the property is already on the local authority’s Derelict Sites Register, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000. The grant is available in respect of vacant and derelict properties built up to and including 2007, in towns, villages, cities and rural areas.

Eligible properties include residential properties, former commercial and public use properties which have been vacant for 2 years.

Upper floors of commercial buildings which have been used as residential and have been vacant for two years or more and built up to and including 2007 are eligible for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, regardless of whether the ground floor is currently vacant or derelict.

Planning regulations, introduced in 2018, which exempted certain vacant commercial premises, including ‘over the shop’ type spaces, from requiring planning permission to change to residential purposes have been extended until 2025.

I note that applicants can avail of other Government supported grant schemes to address vacancy. For example, owners of vacant commercial units who wish to bring their property back into use as social housing may apply to the relevant local authority under the Repair and Leasing Scheme. Local authorities are responsible for determining eligibility for the scheme by taking account of local need, the suitability of dwellings, sustainable community considerations and value for money.

The Social Housing Capital Funding Programmes (Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP) and the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS)) support local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies to tackle dereliction and vacancy through the repurposing/renewing of vacant buildings and blocks as new social homes. The funding for re-purposing/renewing vacant buildings or blocks as new social homes, including single ‘Buy & Renew’ properties is drawn from the €1.4 billion capital funding available under the SHIP and CAS programmes and is demand-led. There is, therefore, significant available funding that local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies can draw on in relation to these initiatives.

Under Action 97 of the updated Housing for All Action Plan, my Department has convened a Working Group “to assess and make recommendations in relation to the overall potential for the development of vacant commercial properties for housing and examine the scope for planning exception, subject to planning considerations and housing need ”. The group, which is chaired by my Department, is comprised of senior officials from my Department, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Office of Public Works, local authorities, the Local Government Management Agency and private sector professionals.

Further information on available schemes and supports is contained in the following link: www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/ef77b-refurbishing-vacant-property/.

Since the launch of the Grant some 7,730 applications have been received, with over 4,600 approved and with 298 grants paid out as works are completed. At the outset, the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund aimed to deliver 2,000 homes by 2025. This has since been increased to 4,000.

At present, the Vacant Homes Unit in my Department has 8 staff. The Unit plays a key part in delivering on the Government commitments under Housing for All, Pathway Four designed to tackle vacancy and ensure the more efficient use of our existing housing stock. The unit liaises with dedicated Vacant Homes Officers across the 31 Local Authorities and with the Property Optimisation Unit in the Housing Agency, as well as working with a larger network of stakeholders and staff in local authorities dealing with dereliction, town regeneration and vacancy.