Vacant Properties
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-21
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Frankie Feighan (FG), Sligo-Leitrim

The Deputy rightly raised the issues and the range of measures being taken by the Government to address vacancy and dereliction, which are a huge success. Vacancy levels are declining. An historical level of funding has been made available and this significant investment, through schemes such as the urban regeneration development fund and the vacant property refurbishment grant, is having a serious impact, bringing vacant and derelict properties back to use and revitalising towns and villages across the country.
The Government's new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030, reinforces and expands the range of existing measures being implemented by Government to tackle the issue of vacancy and dereliction. The Deputy is absolutely right. I grew up over a shop, a newsagent on a corner in Boyle, County Roscommon. Three of us lived over the shop. There was no back door and there were 100 people on the street and 100 people on the other street. It was the same in every town and village in the country. It is galling to see that a lot of properties have fallen into disrepair. From a planning point of view, people did not want to live over a shop. The new €95,000 grant for over-the-shop living is going to be a major benefit and will help bring those town and village centres into play. People will also get €5,000 for architect's fees. The measure has only started but I think it will make a big difference.
I would love to see the towns and villages coming back into play, as has happened around Europe. Much of this housing is of a good quality and we need to do an awful lot more. I thank the Deputy for raising an issue that is close to my heart as well. A lot is being done and these new grants will certainly help bring over-the-shop houses back into play. The other grants for refurbishing older buildings have certainly helped. As I said, there have been 17,400 grants paid in the past six or seven years. We are in a better place but we need to do a lot more.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:58+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-21