Housing

Stopping the rot: could compulsory purchase orders be a solution for derelict properties?

Louth was once a trailblazer when it came to using compulsory purchase orders to bring vacant buildings back into use, but in recent times the programme has faltered, with no properties acquired this year

Fergus O’Dowd, Fine Gael TD: ‘There’s no barrier to the council doing [CPOs], so why did it stop? It’s scandalous that there are houses that remain derelict and empty.’ Picture: Arthur Carron