More should be done to tackle dereliction in Dublin, councillor says

Ellen O'Donoghue

A Green Party councillor and candidate in the upcoming Dublin Central by-election has called on the Government and Councils to do more to tackle dereliction in Dublin.

Janet Horner's call comes as a senior council engineer said that houses on Connaught Street in Phibsborough and Ferguson Road in Dromcondra should not have been purchased due to the extent of their dereliction.

Horner has previously called for the definition of dereliction to be changed.

"The current definition really only looks at the facade, not the complete state of a building. So property owners can improve how a building looks from the outside so that it doesn’t classify as derelict," she said.

"Even if you are using a back room for storage, you shouldn’t be allowed to leave the building to crumble.

"The Government has said that they will change that definition and reform the Derelict Property Tax. Dublin deserves better; neither of those things can wait.”

Horner said that Dublin Central needs more social housing in every area, speaking of derelict buildings that were purchased by Dublin City Council, only to be found too dilapidated to turn into social housing.

"Having buildings lying empty is an insult to people who have been waiting for years on housing lists," she added.

"Tackling dereliction is at the very root of improving communities across the city, and for that to happen, our Derelict Sites Register must accurately capture the amount of buildings that are falling into dilapidation.”