Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 February 2017
161. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if consideration is being given to introducing compulsory leasing orders for appropriate vacant properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6221/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe use of Compulsory Leasing Orders as a possible means of re-utilising vacant properties was proposed at a presentation to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government last week by the Peter McVerry Trust in the context of discussions on addressing the issue of vacant housing, derelict sites and underused spaces. The Trust indicated that it supported the use of such Orders, where ownership of vacant properties would not change but local authorities would be empowered to take over the management of a property for a specified period and under certain strict criteria for the common good, including the provision of social housing. Under the proposal, the property owner would receive rent for the period of the Order, minus the costs of upgrading and managing the building.
As the Deputy is aware, Pillar 5 of the Government’s Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness – Rebuilding Ireland is specifically focused on Utilising Existing Housing Stock, with a key objective of ensuring that the existing vacant housing stock throughout the country and across all forms of tenure, in both the public and private sectors, is used to the optimum degree possible. In this regard, Action 5.1 of Rebuilding Ireland commits to developing a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy by the first quarter of 2017, informed by Census 2016 data, to
- inform the compilation of a register of vacant units across the country,
- identify the number, location and reasons for longer-term vacancies (i.e. over 6 months) in high demand areas, and
- set out a range of actions to bring vacant units back into reuse.
The Housing Agency, which has lead responsibility for co-ordinating the development of the Strategy, established a working group in September 2016 comprising senior representatives from my Department, local authorities, the Irish Council for Social Housing and from the Housing Agency itself to inform the Strategy. The proposal to use Compulsory Leasing Orders as possible means of re-utilising vacant properties will be considered by the Working Group in the context of finalising the Strategy.
