‘We will not be waiting around’
Tipperary Co Council will be adding more than 100 properties to the Derelict Sites Register this year as part of a tougher stance on vacant and derelict buildings in towns.
There were 84 properties on the register at the beginning of 2025. Nineteen of these were removed after the owners carried out works, but a further 115 properties were added countywide during the year. Two Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) processes were instigated.
Addressing last week’s meeting of the council, Director of Services Brian Beck warned of a “significant increase” in action against the owners of properties that have been left disused over a long period of time. As well as adding over 100 properties to the register in 2026, the council would be commencing another 28 CPOs.
“We hope it’s not necessary but we will not be waiting around anymore,” Mr Beck told the meeting. He said the council would CPO vacant properties where possible so that these properties could be put on the market again.
VACANT HOMES WEBSITE
Senior Executive Officer Shane Grogan encouraged people to report vacant properties on the website vacanthomes.ie. The council has a dedicated officer to follow up on reports and establish contact with the owners of reported properties.
The council may decide to place reported properties directly on the Derelict Sites Register, Mr Grogan said, but he added that efforts would be made to work with owners in trying to bring the property back into use. He appealed to councillors to share information about reporting vacant and derelict properties so that the council could build a substantial database on the matter.
Cllr Fiona Bonfield welcomed the move and wanted to know how long the council would wait before seeking to acquire a vacant property through CPO. Cllr Mary Hanna Hourigan questioned whether the council has the staff to chase up all the vacant properties that would be reported.
Cllr David Dunne mentioned the new Derelict Property Tax, which was announced last year as a replacement for the Derelict Site Levy. The Government is taking dereliction seriously and the council must follow suit, Cllr Dunne said, but he added that CPOs have been issued on vacant properties in the past and they “dropped off the radar”.
Mr Grogan replied that the CPO process would take a minimum of four weeks to commence from the serving of a derelict site notice. The council would have to ensure there is an “end use” for the property before acquiring it, he said. He assured that the council has sufficient staffing to follow through on vacant property action.
Regarding the levy, Mr Grogan said this would become a tax this year and would be dealt with by the Revenue Commissioners. The levy currently stands at seven percent of the market value of the property; Mr Grogan anticipated that the tax would be the same if not more.
REFURBISHMENT GRANT
Mr Beck said the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (part of the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund) has been extended to 2030 and can significantly help owners to turn vacant buildings into permanent residences or rentals. The scheme is being well used in Tipperary and is supporting the local economy through the likes of tradesmen, suppliers and installers of furniture and appliances, he pointed out.
He also mentioned the new Living Over the Shop scheme, which aims to help owners convert vacant spaces above shops into residential units. There is potentially over €140,000 in grants available to individual applicants seeking to renovate their upper floors, Mr Beck said. He said the council would be running a series of workshops in each of Tipperary’s municipal districts with a view to engaging with people about the options that are available.