Joe Flaherty
Question:224. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of Croí Cónaithe applications received as of 31 October 2022, by county. [60433/22]
View answerTuesday, 6 December 2022
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Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. Many areas of cities, towns and villages of all sizes face the blight of vacant properties, which, if brought back into use, could add real vibrancy and provide new accommodation in those areas. The Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund is a key initiative which underpins these policy objectives set out in Pathway Four of Housing for All.
Schemes under the Fund, which are delivered by local authorities, provide new choices for people to live in towns and villages in Ireland, through the provision of a grant to support the refurbishment of vacant properties and by providing serviced sites in towns and villages to people in order to build their own homes.
In July, I launched the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant as part of the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund. The grant benefits those who wish to turn a formerly vacant house or building into their principal private residence. The grant was initially launched in respect of vacant properties in towns and villages but I am pleased to say that as of the 15 November, the expanded grant also includes eligible vacant properties in both cities and rural areas (in addition to those in towns and villages, which have been eligible since July). Further information is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/press-release/969fb-vacant-property-refurbishment-grant-expanded-to-cities-and-remote-rural-areas/
In September, I launched the Ready to Build Scheme, also funded by the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund. Under the Ready to Build Scheme, local authorities will make serviced sites in towns and villages available to potential individual purchasers to build their homes. These sites will be available at a discount on the market value of the site for the building of a property for occupation as the principal private residence of the purchaser. All available sites will be advertised on the relevant local authority’s website and / or in relevant local publications along with a closing date for receipt of applications. As the scheme has recently launched, each local authority has been asked to assess suitable sites for the scheme.
When the Fund was launched, I committed to ongoing reviews of the schemes under it. Feedback on the Vacant Property Refurbishment Scheme has been very positive, with 419 applications reported to start November. Details of these applications by local authority are set out in the table below. In order for applications to be assessed and a decision made, specified supporting documentation must be submitted with the application and a site visit carried out by the local authority to asses the works being applied for. In some cases this may involve the local authority reverting to the applicant for additional information.
|
Local Authority |
Applications Received for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant |
Approved |
|
Carlow |
4 |
2 |
|
Cavan |
12 |
0 |
|
Clare |
18 |
1 |
|
Cork City |
1 |
0 |
|
Cork county |
50 |
10 |
|
Donegal |
25 |
0 |
|
Dublin City |
0 |
0 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
0 |
0 |
|
Fingal |
6 |
0 |
|
Galway City |
0 |
0 |
|
Galway County |
27 |
7 |
|
Kerry |
36 |
0 |
|
Kildare |
11 |
4 |
|
Kilkenny |
12 |
0 |
|
Laois |
7 |
2 |
|
Leitrim |
7 |
1 |
|
Limerick |
23 |
9 |
|
Longford |
2 |
0 |
|
Louth |
14 |
0 |
|
Mayo |
27 |
8 |
|
Meath |
2 |
0 |
|
Monaghan |
15 |
2 |
|
Offaly |
17 |
2 |
|
Roscommon |
19 |
0 |
|
Sligo |
13 |
8 |
|
South Dublin |
0 |
0 |
|
Tipperary |
30 |
2 |
|
Waterford |
9 |
0 |
|
Westmeath |
11 |
2 |
|
Wexford |
14 |
3 |
|
Wicklow |
7 |
3 |
|
Totals |
419 |
66 |
It is intended that in future, data on the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund will be published on the Department's website on a quarterly basis.