€6.5m in funding to end long-term vacancy and dereliction

HOUSING Council to utilise Urban Regeneration money accelerate pace of bringing buildings back into productive use as new homes

Meath has been allocated €6.5 million in funding to end long-term vacancy and dereliction in the county.

Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien announced the funding which aims to transform locations across the country, promote vibrant communities in urban centres and provide more homes where people can live close to local services and amenities.

Announced as part of the quarterly Housing for All progress update, the funding will be available to Meath County Council under the Urban Regeneration Development Fund (URDF) and will act as a revolving fund meaning it can be replenished and used into the future.

Minister O’Brien said: “We are announcing details of a fund to specifically tackle long term vacancy and dereliction within towns and cities. This fund will help restore the urban heart of many of our communities, including those in Meath. It will also provide more homes in urban centres where people can live close to local services, amenities and employment and, indeed, has the potential to be truly transformative.

"This Government has consistently said we will use every tool in our armoury to get to grips with our housing challenges and that is exactly what we are doing. ”

Meanwhile, Meath County Council can avoid the usual planning process when building social housing over the next 18 months, following the introduction of new legislation temporarily bypassing the planning process.

Councillors were told at a meeting of Navan Municipal Council last week that the new legislation allows councils to proceed without going through the part eight planning process when it comes to social housing.

The legislation allows a council to develop housing projects without going through the planning process, bypassing input from the public and elected members, if they judge that the schemes are in line with the council’s development plan.

If there is likely to be an environmental impact, the new legislation will not apply and work on projects proceeding under this new legislation must commence before the end of 2024.

At last week's meeting the councillors were told that Meath County Council intends to bring the information they would normally present to the council as part of the planning process to councillors. The council has to advertise the plans in a newspaper and erect a site notice and can begin construction within eight weeks.

It will be open to the public to seek a judicial review if they are opposed to the plans.

Cllr Alan Lawes said he had concerns about the legislation as it was taking away the right of the public and councillors to object to developments. There had been plans in Johnstown for five storey apartments which the residents objected to and this was upheld by Bord Pleanala.

"I know the legislation is temporary at the moment, but I would fear that it could become permanent."

He was told that it was only the county council that could bypass the planning process under the new legislation and not developers.

Director of Services Martin Murray said that if a project could not be commenced between the end of next year, the council must revert back to the Part Eight process.

Meanwhile, at the July meeting of Trim Municipal District Council, councillors were told that four social housing units proposed for Haggard Street would be brought forward under this process.

Two one-bedroom units and two two-bedroom units are proposed to be developed at the site of two derelict properties at Haggard Street which among seven in the Trim District that are on the Derelict Sites Register. The properties are now in council ownership.