Councillors slam Dublin City Council for pausing CPOs amid housing crisis
Dublin City Council has paused compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) as it seeks to sell derelict properties within its ownership on the open market.
At yesterday’s Central Area Committee, Administrative Officer Margaret Mooney updated councillors on their area’s Derelict Sites Report, where it was revealed that the Housing Department have requested a temporary pause on CPOs to allow for a review of available resources. In line with current funding constraints and strategic targets, they said the pause is to allow for space to determine how to best prioritise delivery.
Additionally, Ms Mooney said there are council-owned properties “lying idle” and they are investigating potentially selling them on the open market. The first properties to go on sale will be at Mulberry Cottages in Chapelizod , which have fallen into disrepair and laid vacant for years.
The council are currently preparing a brief, which will be sent out to an estate agent within the coming weeks. Ms Mooney said “this will be our first attempt selling properties” and depending on the success of the sale, they may consider unloading further derelict properties, rather than redeveloping them themselves.
The sale of Mulberry Cottages was agreed by councillors at the South Central Area Committee meeting last November and comes with the caveat that the new owners must redevelop them, or face losing them. Ms Mooney stated at the time that the buyers will be given a timeframe in which to redevelop and if they fail to meet this they will lose a non-refundable deposit and the homes will be taken back by the council for resale.
Independent Cllr Cieran Perry criticised the pause on CPOs, which he described as one of the few “weapons” the council have in their “armoury,” whose powers have never been fully utilised. “We know the threat of CPO frightens people, plus it’s an opportunity to take some buildings back into public control,” he said.
Cllr Perry said that progressing CPOs is an important method of tackling dereliction and he expressed frustration that a “unilateral decision to just stop” was not put forward to representatives for consideration. He lamented “the same old reasons of funding and constraints" and asked the issue be brought to the Housing SPC.
“The Housing Department is making a lot of unilateral decisions that haven’t been discussed with the councillors and I believe have a negative impact on the city,” he said.
“We are told a different story when we’re talking about dereliction in sub-working groups or committees. We are told there are great plans for the city in tackling dereliction, but then we see the reality.”
Sinn Fein Cllr Janice Boylan described the rampant dereliction seen in Dublin as “a complete embarrassment for this council.” As the biggest local authority in Ireland, she said that pausing CPOs in “another embarrassment."
“Buildings should be used for homes. The housing crisis hasn’t gone away, it’s still here and it’s gotten worse. We should be making that issue better,” she said.
Cllr Boylan that it is “an embarrassment to be walking around this constituency and seeing these idle properties absolutely destroyed” and that often the only way to get the council to act is to embarrass them into doing something.
Independent Cllr Malachy Steenson criticised the cancellation of the redevelopment of Numbers 19 and 21 Connaught Street in Phibsborough due to “excessive costs” of €1.7 million. “What’s the value of acquiring properties if after six years of Connaught Street we’re told we can’t do anything about it? It's going to cost €1.7m to renovate two terraced houses when any half-baked builder in the country could do it for a third of that,” he said.
Green Party Cllr Janet Horner also called for more than “a lick of paint” to see properties removed from the Derelict Sites Register. While renovating the front of derelict buildings might improve their aesthetics in the perception of the public on the street, she said what’s needed is “fundamental change” that brings buildings back into use.
Ms Mooney said they are endeavouring to take “a stricter approach” when it comes to addressing dereliction and “sometimes the work going on in the background isn’t always obvious.” While the council reacts to any complaints put forward, she also said they are strategically working through the derelict sites around the city and a new mapping system is helping to strengthen enforcement.
Additionally, Ms Mooney said three new staff members had been hired and are currently being trained, which will allow for more investigations of derelict sites. They are also putting in measures to reduce elongated timelines, such as a reducing the amount of time property owners have to respond to the council from four weeks to two weeks.
As of the end of March 2026, there are 137 sites on the citywide Derelict Sites Register. 42 are located within the central area. Six sites have been added since the last report and five sites have been removed. The Central Area has €2,094,475 in levies outstanding with payments of €327,504 received in 2025 and €81,660 to date in 2026.
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