Cork City Council has spent almost €39k on shutters for derelict properties since 2019

A total of €38,847 has been spent on the shuttering of derelict properties by Cork City Council since 2019, bringing the total spent on shutters in the last five years by the council to nearly €900,000.

Figures revealed to Social Democrats councillor Pádraig Rice showed that €16,250.41 was spent in 2019, €8,573.95 in 2020, €4,099.84 in 2021, €4,116.54 in 2022, and €5,806.84 in 2023.

There are currently over 170 properties on the derelict sites register for Cork City Council, with some having been on the register since the 1990s.

Eleven properties were added to the register in 2019, three in 2020, nine in 2021, 23 in 2022, 54 in 2023, and 25 so far in 2024.

Shutters are utilised as part of the acquisition of derelict sites as well as to secure vacant council-owned housing units including those in regeneration areas and those under repair, in order to prevent vandalism and squatting in the properties.

It comes as the city council previously revealed that €851,821 has been spent on the shutters for vacant units from 2019 to September 2024.

This brings the total spent on shutters to €890,668 since 2019.

Mr Rice said: “Far too many buildings in Cork are vacant and derelict. Every day that they are left like this costs the city council money, as these shutters have a per-day charge.

“The city is blighted by dereliction. Too many buildings have been left to rot. This can’t be allowed to continue.”

He explained that as well as the huge amount of people looking for homes, there are many artists and community groups looking for workspaces, adding that “it makes no sense that we have so many buildings boarded up.

“The Derelict Sites Act 1990 grants significant powers to local authorities to combat dereliction. However, these powers are not being fully utilised.”

He added that if the city council were “more proactive in enforcing this legislation”, shuttering costs would fall significantly.

“I’m going to keep raising this issue with the city council until it’s properly addressed,” he said.

Cork City Council declined to comment.