Call for amendments to Vacant Property Grant scheme

Cavan County Council is set to write to the Minister for Housing to ask for amendments to the current Croí Cónaithe grant scheme.

Cathaoirleach, Cllr T.P. O’Reilly (FG) put forward a suggestion that the council gather amendments for the scheme to put forward to the Minister.

The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant is a payment under the scheme people can access if they are turning a vacant house or building into their permanent home or a rental property. Grants of up to €70,000 are available for properties that have been vacant for at least two years.

“There’s several different amendments that people have talked about and we’re not going to get them all,” Cllr O’Reilly pointed out at the May monthly meeting of Cavan County Council, before suggesting his own amendments.

“If there’s someone who has an old dwelling and they build a new house on the same footprint, that should be exempt from planning,” he suggested.

Meanwhile he also pointed out that “anyone” who avails of the Croí Cónaithe scheme for bathroom works, then “it should be wheelchair accessible”.

Cllr Clifford Kelly (FF) supported the motion, as did Cllr Stiofán Conaty (SF), who suggested that the 13 months’ “turnaround time” for works to be completed under the Vacant Property Grant is “too short”.

The grant is paid to successful applicants only after the works have been completed, however Cllr Conaty also suggested that the grant be “paid in instalments for young people to get on the property ladder”.

He revealed how he knows of two couples who bought vacant homes and moved in “just to have a roof over their heads” and lost the grant.

Independent Ireland’s Shane P. O’Reilly also voiced his proposed amendments.

“My big one is the staged payments.

“You can’t get the workmen,” he said, describing how people are struggling get workers to do the work within the timeframe.

Cllr Brendan Fay (Ind) described the debate as a “great motion”. He pointed out that people “don’t have” the money required to complete the works before receiving the grant and was supportive of a staged payment system. He added that bridging loans don’t seem to be working.

Meanwhile, Cllr Trevor Smith (FG) praised the move to include rural properties in the scheme.

Cllr Áine Smith (FF) suggested that the timeframe for the completed works could be increased to 18 months from the time of approval to completion.

“Even if that could go a little bit further,” she added.

Fianna Fáil’s Philip Brady hailed the initiative as a “great scheme for people”.

“Crazy stuff,” is how Val Smith (FG) described the “rules” of the scheme, under which people “have to leave some wall” and in some cases the wall is “not fit for purpose”.

Cllr Niamh Brady (FG) also supported the motion, as did Cllr Winston Bennett (FG).

Cllr T.P. O’Reilly said they would “collectively” send the suggested amendments to the relevant Minister.