Cork City Council to host seminar addressing dereliction and vacancy

A seminar addressing dereliction and vacancy, which aims to give practical advice to owners of vacant and derelict properties, is set to take place next week.

Kieran McCarthy of RTÉ’s Cheap Irish Homes, Rosemarie Webb of Technological University Dublin and author and former Irish Times Environment Editor Frank McDonald are just some of the speakers at the Cork City Council event.

Now in its second year, the event entitled ‘Urban Fabric: Addressing Dereliction & Vacancy’ provides practical advice from industry experts on everything from available grants to planning concerns to carbon footprint and SEAI options.

The event will take place in Saint Peter’s Church on North Main Street on Friday, May 24 from 10am to 1.30pm, following last year’s successful event at Nano Nagle Place.

In addition to external speakers and industry experts, Cork City Council staff will speak on issues that can affect a property’s return to use.

The event will include talks directly aimed at homeowners, as well as some wider industry advice for builders and developers.

Cork City Council has said it saw a major uptick in activity in dereliction last year, with the number of sites on the Derelict Sites Register increasing by 45%.

According to Cork City Council, there was a similar increase in the number of sites under investigation for dereliction.

As of March 2024, over 700 properties are being investigated for dereliction, potential placement on the register, or are on the city’s vacancy register.

In addition, over 250 applicants have now applied for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant which allocates up to €50,000 for vacant homes, and up to €70,000 for derelict homes.

Over €12.5 million in grants is being progressed to bring these 250 long-term vacant and derelict properties back into use.

Cork City Council has been holding a series of informal public drop-in vacancy and dereliction sessions across the city, with Blackpool and Bishopstown complete, and future events upcoming in other electoral wards.

The sessions provide information to members of the public on the supports available to refurbish vacant and derelict properties.

Attendees can reserve a space by visiting Eventbrite.ie and searching for “urban fabric cork”. Walk-ups will be accepted on the day if space is available.