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

It may be the smallest county in the country, but up until recently Louth was a trailblazer when it came to using compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to buy up vacant properties.

Its county council was widely praised for acquiring more than 90 abandoned homes and buildings in the space of a few short years. Its success was a key factor in the decision by Darragh O’Brien, the Minister for Housing, to set up a fund ...