Councils given less money than citizens to renovate derelict sites, Cork City Council meeting hears 

Councils are being given less money than private citizens to renovate derelict homes, sparking calls from Cork City Council for central government to urgently increase funding so it can refurbish hundreds of vacant homes for people who desperately need them.

While government gives up to €110,000 for private individuals to renovate a derelict property, Cork City Council is only given some €12,000 to do so, Fine Gael councillor Des Cahill said.

But councils should be given at least as much as private citizens to renovate vacant and derelict homes, he told a meeting of Cork City Council on Monday night.

Independent Ireland councillor Noel O’Flynn proposed a motion, passed unanimously, that Cork City Council write to the Minister for Housing requesting additional, ring-fenced funding to accelerate the refurbishment of long-term vacant council properties in Cork city, with a view to eliminating vacancies of over 52 weeks, within 24 months.

It would take €8m to fully renovate some 348 vacant Cork City Council houses, he said, but the money is not there.

He called for the council to write a letter to central government to increase the amount of money for a council to renovate a home to at least €20,000 per unit.

Some renovations may take €100,000 to bring them up to modern standards, he said.

He suggested that council housing stock which would cost €50,000 or more to renovate should be sold, with that money reinvested in renovations and more affordable housing solutions.

Sinn Fein councillor Michelle Gould called for Taoiseach Micheál Martin to “step in and make funding available” to Cork City Council to renovate these vacant properties.

Councillor Joe Lynch said that seeing boarded-up homes enrages and upsets people when everyone knows someone struggling to find a home.

These council properties should not be taking a year or years to renovate, he said.

Green Party councillor Oliver Moran noted that Cork City Council’s chief executive and housing director had left the meeting before the discussion, which he said, was of concern when examining such an important issue.

Councillor Jerrica Struthers objected strongly to any suggestion of selling off council housing stock.

Private home buyers can claim up to €50,000 to renovate a vacant property and up to €70,000 to renovate a derelict home through the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant.

Private renovators may also claim tens of thousands of euros in SEAI energy retrofit grants for those private homes.