COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, March 11, 2024

QUESTION NO. 14

QUESTION: Councillor M. Johansson

To ask the Chief Executive for a report on all homes that have been reported as vacant in the county and what actions are being taken to restore them to use.

REPLY:

There are currently fifty-nine homes listed the Council’s Vacant Homes Register. 

A number of initiatives are in place with the aim of encouraging and enabling privately owned vacant homes to be brought back into use whether to the social housing or private rented market, these include:

To date, 68 vacant homes grant applications have been assessed and inputted onto the Vacant Homes App,  the status of applications is set out below:

Approved

36

Approved in Principle

4

Declined

5

In progress

23

The Council's primary objective is to encourage property owners to engage with us and find solutions for the vacant home units without having to resort to an acquisition process. The Council also has a range of legislative powers available to deal with under-utilised and derelict properties including through Compulsory Purchase and Derelict Sites legislation where necessary.

The Council has a dedicated Vacant Homes Officer who acts as central advisory point for property owners in terms of providing advice, assistance and information on the schemes which are available to bring vacant properties back to use. They investigate reports of vacant homes, establish ownership and ascertain whether the property is in fact vacant. Properties can be reported via http://vacanthome.ie or directly to the Council by emailing vhu@sdublincoco.ie.   Vacancy data locally can be monitored and assessed through utilisation of CSO/GeoDirectory data. The CPO Activation Programme provides for a planned, systematic, and proactive approach by local authorities to bringing vacant and derelict properties into use.  Seven properties have been identified and targeted for acquisition/refurbishment under the Urban Regeneration Development Fund (URDF) Round 3 funding to activate long term vacant and derelict buildings.  These properties have been submitted to the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage for approval.    

258 properties were identified in a county-wide survey of 632 potential vacant properties which took place during 2023 in conjunction with the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage. Further investigation is necessary to determine whether additional properties can be added to the Vacant Homes Register as a result of these investigations.