David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

189. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he is aware if local authorities in the State are compiling and maintaining registers of vacant properties, as distinct from registers of derelict properties, in their administrative area; if so, if his Department is advised of details of any such registers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25989/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Tackling vacancy is a key priority for this Government and Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock.

The Vacant Homes Action Plan, which I originally published in January 2023, built on Pathway 4 of Housing for All and set out the various actions that were being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes. I recently published an update on the Action Plan a year on which shows the significant progress that is being made and it is available on my Department's website.

The Derelict Sites Act 1990 imposes a general duty on every owner and occupier of land to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the land does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site. Under the Act, local authorities are required to maintain a derelict sites register.

A property can be placed on a local authority's derelict site register where it is deemed by a local authority to satisfy the criteria of a derelict site under the terms of section 3 of the Act i.e. (i) it is in a dangerous or ruinous condition; (ii) it is in a neglected or unsightly condition; or (iii) there is a presence of litter, waste or debris on the site. A property cannot be placed on the derelict site register of a local authority simply by being vacant.

While there is no register of vacant properties established in legislation, a Vacancy Survey project, supported by my Department, commenced in December 2022. The survey, which is carried out by local authorities, aims to gather data, granular and high level, on the number of vacant dwellings in each local authority area.

The survey provides local authorities with a database of vacant and derelict properties which can be updated on an ongoing basis. This database can then be used by local authorities to engage with property owners and work with them to bring those properties back into use. The initial survey work has now been completed by almost all local authorities.

Additionally, a CPO Activation Programme was launched by my Department in April 2023. The Programme supports a proactive and systematic approach by local authorities to the activation of vacant properties. It also includes guidance for local authorities to actively use their legislative powers to acquire vacant and derelict properties, where engagement with owners has been unsuccessful. My Department will report on the 2023 CPO Activation Programme targets in Q2 2024.

The CPO Activation Programme is supported by the €150 million Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF). The fund supports local authorities in acquiring vacant and derelict properties for reuse and sale, using compulsory purchase powers where necessary. More than 1,200 vacant and derelict properties have now been identified and approved under Call 3 of the Fund, with an estimated residential yield of 5,406 homes. The fund will be replenished from the proceeds received from the sale or reuse of a site, allowing the local authority to establish a rolling programme to tackle vacancy.

The most efficient home to deliver is one which already exists. I firmly believe that the commitment this Government has made to addressing vacancy and dereliction will continue to play a vital role in delivering homes and revitalising local communities.