Dereliction a ‘scourge’ in Tipperary as push grows for living above shops
Derelict properties in Tipperary are set to face increased enforcement measures as new funding aims to end the “scourge” of dereliction, local officials have said.
At the April meeting of the Clonmel Borough District, independent councillor Richie Molloy welcomed new funding that will allow people to develop homes above former shops, and said that vacant buildings were a blight on Clonmel.
“Dereliction is the scourge of the town centre, and I welcome the news that it looks like it’ll be easier now to live above shops going forward, because as far as I know, in O’Connell Street, there’s only one family living there now,” he said.
"Years and years ago, you’d have had several families living there, and it will make the town centre more vibrant after 6pm, which it isn’t at the moment, it’s so quiet after 5pm, the place is deserted.
"There just isn’t enough people living in the town centre,” Cllr Molloy added.
Fianna Fáil councillor Siobhán Ambrose said that the new grants would allow young people to move out on their own and would help alleviate the housing crisis.
"If we can get people living over the shop, it is really going to be a gamechanger,” she said.
"There’s a lot of young people living at home with their parents, they could all be in lovely apartments or lovely townhouses in the town centre, and even for the shops in the town centre to have people directly living overhead,” she added.
The grant is an extension of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, and applicants can get up to €140,000 in funding if they create three or more homes above a shop. A grant of €95,000 is available to people who want to create one apartment or house over a commercial building.
In response to councillors, town regeneration officer Shane Grogan said the council would be coming down hard on the owners of vacant properties.
He said the council had begun issuing derelict sites levy letters, with an estimated €1.1 million due.
“If people don’t pay it, we will take them to court,” he said, adding that charges would also be registered against properties.
"We will also be registering that charge against the building and that means that building cannot change hands without that levy being paid,” he explained.
“If people don’t pay the levy, we will take them to court. Because there’s so much funding available now though, there really is no excuse anymore to have a vacant or a derelict building in any of our towns,” he added.