New grants supporting those wishing to purchase derelict properties in the Republic of Ireland are currently under consideration, Agriland reported on January 11.

As part of the “Housing for All” scheme developed by the Dublin government, a portion is being designated as a Croí Conaithe (towns) fund. The scheme intends to revitalise rural areas in the country, which have been left to ruin in recent decades from depopulation.

“The aim will be that those who buy a vacant house will be able to secure funding through their local authority towards renovation and other costs,” a department of housing spokesperson said.

The new grant will be part of a multi-pronged approach to tackle unoccupied and dilapidated buildings across the republic.

The new fund will also work with utilities to plug in the rural homes to modern piping at a reduced cost, however, the finer details on that are not currently known.

The full details of the scheme, due to be announced in the first quarter of 2022, are yet to be finalised.

However, not all who are currently studying the proposals think it is going far enough. Independent MP for Galway East, Sean Canney has said the plan “nee to be effective.”

He argues that to start, the ‘Help to Buy’ scheme should be extended to cover these buyers which currently only helps housing developers and those looking to buy a new build. He added that the sites should be exempt from planning regulations and development changes to boost people buying them.

 

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