Refugees

Vacant buildings used to house refugees to be exempt from planning permission for five years

Minister warned it would not be worth state’s while to convert accommodation for original two-year term

Darragh O’Brien, Minister for Housing: His department has predicted that the number of Ukrainian refugees in Ireland could reach ‘more than 100,000’. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Darragh O’Brien, Minister for Housing, has signed an order to allow vacant buildings to be used to house refugees for five years without planning permission.

The buildings will have a planning permission exemption up until 2028, which is far longer than the original two-year exemption originally announced.

O’Brien has made the change after his officials warned that it would not be worth the cost of the state converting old buildings into refugee accommodation for just ...