Plan to revamp empty houses
LOUTH County Council are working with a design consultant to come up with innovative ways to return empty houses back into family homes.
The issue was raised at the September meeting of Drogheda Municipal District when councillors said a large number of houses around town remain vacant.
They said local residents were concerned at the length of time it is taking for these void properties to be returned to use, given the huge numbers on the housing list, and are also experiencing problems with people using the empty homes as dumping sites because they are vacant for long periods of time.
Director of Services with Louth County Council Paddy Donnelly said the council were working hard to turnaround vacant properties as quickly as was possible. However, he said houses were returning to the council either under CPO or in very poor condition.
‘We are working on it,’ he told the meeting. ‘Certainly with the CPO properties we are seeking tenders and working to get them back in circulation as soon as possible.’
He said that while these projects are 60% funded by the Department, the council still have to fund 40% of the work themselves.
‘We are working with a design consultant at the moment to try and come up with innovative solutions for that to get them back in circulation,’ he added.
Questions were also raised at the meeting about the number of people in emergency accommodation in County Louth. Councillor Michelle Hall asked how how long people were spending in emergency accommodation before moving on to a more permanent home.
In response, Mr Donnelly said: ‘Some people remain in emergency accommodation by choice unfortunately. They have been offered alternative accommodation and refuse to take it but we continue to work with them.’
He said he didn’t have exact figures as to how many families are in emergency accommodation at the moment.
Discussing the Housing Progress Report, Mr Donnelly said the council have ringfenced a portion of the budget to address the problem with the heating systems going on what happened last year.