Mayo TD wants action to address 'scourge' of dereliction

A MAYO Dáil Deputy has called for action to tackle the 'scourge' of dereliction in towns and villages.

Deputy Alan Dillon said local authorities need to be equipped to tackle the issue and lead the way in bringing vacant units back into residential use.

Deputy Dillon told the Dáil this week: “I have been banging the drum about dereliction since I was elected and it could make a real difference in bringing people back to our streets outside normal business hours.

“In Mayo we have seen much-needed funding coming on stream, such as the urban and rural regeneration funding in Castlebar and Westport. It would also be very useful to see such funding have a greater emphasis on putting vacant units back into residential use.

“Dereliction is a scourge on the areas it infests. Considering our efforts to boost housing supply, we really need to put in place solutions to this matter.

“I have heard all the excuses surrounding cost concerns, fire escape concerns and noise but I have seen very little in developing solutions for these problems. We really need to equip our local authorities to tackle this matter and lead the way in bringing vacant units back into use.”

While he welcomed some features within the Housing For All Plan, including the planning exemption for above-shop conversions and streamlining the protective structures system, as well as the new Croí Cónaithe fund to promote development within our regional towns and villages, he said they needed to be more proactive on the issue and make use of vacant properties and convert them back into residential usage.

“One need only walk along Main Street, Castlebar, Pearse Street, Ballina, or Bridge Street, Westport, to recognise the vast amount of space above the shops and on ground level that is going to waste. Certainly, we need to prioritise this within government.

“Processes such as the repair and renew scheme and compulsory purchase orders are tools we should utilise.”

His colleague Deputy Brendan Griffin, from Kerry, in opening the debate in the Dáil, said the issue can be addressed by getting properties on the market by providing a tax break window for owners to sell them to first-time buyers. The help-to-buy scheme should be extended to such houses without the requirement for total demolition. Generous renovation grants should be provided to first-time buyers and planning-exempt extension dimensions should be increased for the properties.

They should also waive or rebate water and electricity reconnection fees for the houses, subject to an occupancy clause, he said.

“The cities, towns, villages and countryside of the nation are dotted with such properties and we need to get them back into use,” he said.