Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2020
44. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has considered a scheme to encourage the turning of over-the-shop premises into housing as a way to revitalise rural communities. [28435/20]
View answerMy Department has introduced a number of initiatives aimed at encouraging and facilitating the provision of residential accommodation above existing retail units.
In December 2018, the Report of the Working Group on the Reuse of Existing Buildings and the Bringing Back Homes Manual for the Reuse of Existing Buildings were published. The Manual is available to download from my Department's website. The relevant weblink is below.
https://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/home-ownership/vacant-homes/vacant-homes
The Manual is aimed at property owners, members of the public, local authorities and stakeholders in the construction industry who are interested in developing spaces within vacant buildings and bringing them into use for residential purposes.
The manual complements new planning regulations - the Planning and Development (Amendment)(No.2) Regulations 2018 - which came into effect on 8 February 2018 and allow for the change of use of certain vacant commercial buildings to domestic use without having to go through the planning process. A copy of the Regulations is available on the Irish Statute Book and the relevant weblink is below.
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2018/si/30/made/en/pdf
A Vacant Homes Unit was established in my Department to drive and co-ordinate actions at central and local government levels in addressing vacancy and to support local authorities in their actions.
The Vacant Homes Unit provides support to the Vacant Homes Officers in each of the 31 local authorities who have been mandated to quickly identify vacancy hotspots, particularly in areas where there is a high demand for homes, and to engage with property owners in terms of advising them of the opportunities available, including through the Repair and Leasing Scheme and the Buy and Renew Scheme, to assist in bringing vacant properties into productive use for housing purposes.
I am satisfied that there are a range of measures and supports available to encourage and facilitate the provision of residential accommodation including the conversion of vacant commercial spaces over retail units for residential use, and I continue to keep this under review.
