Less than 3% of country’s derelict sites acquired by councils in 2020

Most local authorities did not acquire any derelict sites last year

More than half the sites taken into council ownership in 2020 were done so by Limerick County and City Council. Picture: Rollingnews.ie

Less than 3 per cent of derelict sites were acquired by local authorities last year, according to figures collated by the Department of Housing.

The government’s housing for all policy identifies dereliction as a problem and seeks to bring derelict sites back into use to ensure houses already in existence are properly used. Doing so could rejuvenate towns and cities the document said. Compulsory purchase orders (CPO) should be used as needed, the document added.