Plan that would tackle derelict buildings in towns is launched

Tackling derelict buildings in rural towns is one of the main aims of the Government's new Town Centre First policy that was launched in Moate, Co Westmeath, on Friday.

As part of the policy aimed at making towns more viable and attractive, town regeneration officers are to be employed in all local authorities to work with local communities and help them access a variety of Government funding streams in relation to renewal and redevelopment.

Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys said the plan would bring together stakeholders from business, communities and local government, and would "arm them with the tools and resources they need to make their towns thrive".

Under the policy, individual towns will be assisted by local authorities in developing Town Centre First plans for their area. In December, an allocation of €100,000 each was made to 26 towns, one in each county in the Republic, towards the first such plans.

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“These masterplans are key in ensuring our towns can tackle the issues of dereliction and vacant properties so that they can become better places in which to work, to live, to run a business and to raise a family,” said Ms Humphreys. The plans for each town should examine issues like “job creation, remote working, climate action and digitisation”, she added.

Minister of State for Local Government and Planning Peter Burke said the Government was aiming to bring 4,500 derelict buildings back into use by 2026. He said the Law Reform Commission was examining "how we can enhance" the process of local authorities compulsorily purchasing disused buildings.

First-time buyers

In addition, he said, a new Croí Cónaithe fund, which would include grants for people who restore derelict buildings to use as homes, would be launched by Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien before the end of March. The fund, Mr Burke said, would give first-time buyers a grant "to bring derelict properties back into living standard".

Ms Humphreys said the individual grants provided to such homeowners under the fund would be in the region of €30,000.

“I think that’s the minimum threshold we should introduce via the scheme, given the increased cost of home improvements,” she added.

Friday’s launch took place outside what had long been a disused courthouse building before it was renovated and reopened as Moate Library in 2016.

Ms Humphreys highlighted the project as an example that could be followed elsewhere. "In Ballybofey, they have converted an old cinema. They got funding and they're going to turn that into an enterprise centre with remote-working spaces.

“That’s the type of thing we want to do – we want to help regenerate the town centre by converting those old buildings and bringing business back.

“People are choosing a different lifestyle at the moment. They want to come back to their communities, and we want to give them that opportunity.

“That’s why remote working in hubs in towns like [Moate] is going to be the game-changer. I’m so passionate about it because it can work, it has worked, and we don’t want to go back to the old normal,” said the Minister.

Mr Burke pointed out that the country had “441 towns with a population of between 400 and 5,000, and 62 towns of 5,000-plus”, adding that the new strategy gave an opportunity “to unlock the potential of all of those areas”.