2 May 2024
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Property/Housing News
Cork City Council is holding a series of public drop-in Vacancy & Dereliction sessions to provide information to members of the public on the supports available to refurbish vacant and derelict properties, including the popular Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. These informal, no appointment needed drop-in sessions are for anyone with a question on any element of a vacant or derelict property, from grants available to queries on planning or ownership, or any other issue that may be preventing return to use.
Brochures on the availability of grants are available to take away while guidance will be given by qualified practitioners. ollowing the first session in Bishopstown Library, Wilton on Friday 26th April from 10am to 12pm a second event is planned for Blackpool Library for Friday 3rd May from 10am to 12pm.
In addition, a major stakeholder and public event is planned for 24th May in the form of a seminar on the evolving challenges and supports available to bring vacant and derelict properties back into use. The “Urban Fabric: Addressing Dereliction & Vacancy” event is in its second year following a successful at Nano Nagle Place in 2023.
The venue for this year will be St Peter’s Church on North Main Street, Cork. There will be Cork City Council speakers and external experts like Kieran McCarthy of RTE’s Cheap Irish Homes. Each will cover a different aspect of the dereliction and vacancy issues that affect modern cities, while simultaneously looking to provide solutions for property owners. A limited number of public spaces to join invited industry will be available to book on www.eventbrite.ie from 6 May 2024 through Cork City Council’s website and social media. Walk-ups will be accepted on the day if space is available.
Further events covering all of Cork’s electorate areas are planned for later in the year. Persons seeking more information about vacancy, dereliction, and housing grants and schemes, or looking to report a derelict site, are encouraged not to wait for such events and make contact with the council as soon as possible via the website at www.corkcity.ie or email on DerelictSites@corkcity.ie and/or VacantProperties@corkcity.ie
Cork City saw a major uptick in activity in dereliction last year, with the number of sites on the Derelict Sites Register being increased by 45%. There was a similar increase in the number of sites under investigation for dereliction, which leads to a removal of dereliction or placement on the register and the accrual of levies. Over 700 properties are being investigated for dereliction, placement on the register or are on the cities vacant homes register as of March 2024. In addition, over 250 applicants have now applied for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant which allocated between fifty to seventy thousand for vacant and derelict homes. Over €12 million in grants is being progressed to bring these 250 long term vacant and derelict properties back into use, with further applications invited while the grant remains available.