"Dangerous Dereliction: council steps in to make buildings safe when owners won't"
A recent report in The Journal in response to documents released under FOI has stated that 9 buildings in Limerick were listed as "dangerous" and 58 sites in the city centre were listed on the derelict sites register.
Buildings listed as dangerous are a risk to people inside and outside those buildings with some posing the risk of falling masonry and others at risk of total collapse. Those at risk of collapse within a terrace could cause serious damage to other buildings around them and anybody within them.
People Before Profit spokesperson, Ruairí Fahy, said "While Limerick council has done better than most in adding sites to their derelict register, they are still way behind where we need to be. As part of PBP's #28DaysOfDereliction campaign we have identified other buildings not included with sagging rooves and overflowing gutters which are at risk of becoming dangerous if not addressed."
A recent special investigation by the Examiner looked at the situation with derelict properties in Cork, and highlighted the myriad difficulties contributing to the problem. The report showed council interacting with property owners explaining what grants are available and trying to bring properties back into use without using the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) mechanism. Some owners have appeared to engage with this approach but have continued to leave their properties vacant or just board them up to stop any anti-social behaviour. In other cases property owners have sold the properties with the expectation that the new owner would remove the dereliction but some continue to sit derelict over 5 years later.
The investigation also highlighted the many barriers which slow down attempts to CPO derelict sites, including Byzantine inter-departmental wrangling for funding. In the case where a council wishes to acquire a property through CPO that it intends to use for housing it must undertake a multi-step design and tender proposal with the Department of Housing to bring the property back into use. If the property is acquired and then sold to an Approved Housing Body (AHB) these inter-departmental negotiations can be avoided, speeding up the return of the property as housing, but at the expense of less democratic accountability.
In response Ruairí Fahy said, "with house prices still rising at double-digit percentages annually, it's clear some investors are happy to sit on vacant properties and watch their value rise. The only way to ensure that properties, acquired under CPO, are returned to use is if it is organised directly through the council. Selling them back on to the private market in the hope that they will be renovated only risks extending the housing crisis.
"With so many buildings that need renovation and deep retrofits there is a chance to provide people with good, green jobs with long term security through a public renovation and retrofitting company. If people know there is a job with a living wage and they will have stable work for a decade or more with a chance to retrain, we would very quickly find people willing to train and plug the necessary skills gap. All that's needed is the political will to put a properly funded public alternative in place to the failed private market delivery of housing."
