Sir, – Brendan Logue (LettersSat, July 23rd) makes some very valid points when he comments on the housing crisis and the level of vacancy and dereliction.
There is no lack of housing units in Ireland. There are 260,000 vacant units with a further 45,000 temporarily vacant. These are all connected to current infrastructure. They are also social black holes.
By focusing primarily on these idle properties we would kill many birds with the one stone. We could solve the housing crisis. We could provide a micro-economic boom to small-scale builders, tradesmen and renovators. We could bring life back to town and village centres, where considerable vacancy exists nationally. We would not ghettoise social housing as this vacancy demographic is widespread. We would not add to sprawl and the associated traffic issues this brings.
Yes, the Housing Action Plan contains some carrots, eg local authority up-front rent to fund renovation. Sadly it contains no stick for those unwilling to put a property to use or to sell it. No stick either for local authorities not taking swift action on dereliction.
This is not the case in other European countries such as the Netherlands where 2.5 per cent of housing is vacant. The rate in Ireland is 8 per cent.
So can we please join the dots and not repeat the mistakes of big-builder, big-lender, poor planning construction boom of 2000-2007? Can we implement policies and initiatives that rejuvenate social dead spots and provide housing?
– Yours, etc,
CIAN O’MEARA
Kilworth,
Co Cork.