Vacant Properties
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-15
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Malcolm Noonan (GP), Agricultural Panel

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I thank him for his comprehensive answer. I appreciate the conservation advice grants. They are very useful but they are very limited to the conservation element of it. That is why I think the one-stop shop, which involves having the interdisciplinary skills within the local authorities, is a really progressive approach. I again ask the Minister of State's Department to perhaps give it consideration. This is about heritage-led regeneration and I know the Department is now working to review and broaden the definition of dereliction. It is really important to get that right as well because we see many property owners making small interventions and then trying to not have properties classified as derelict.
Within the above-the-shop scheme, the idea of removing the element of commercial on the ground floor should be given consideration, given the flux that retail is in currently across the country, to allow premises and particularly small businesses to return those buildings to full occupancy. It has to be given consideration, given the state of retail in the country at the minute. Again, I ask the Minister of State to give consideration to the one-stop shop idea.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-15