Derelict Buildings shouldn’t be allowed to crumble

Green Party Councillor and candidate in the upcoming Dublin Central by-election, Councillor Janet Horner, is calling on Government and Councils to do more to tackle dereliction in Dublin.

Her call comes as a senior council engineer said that houses on Connaught Street in Phibsborough and Ferguson Road in Drumcondra shouldn’t have been purchased due to the extent of their dereliction.

Cllr Horner, has previously called for the definition of dereliction to be changed:

“The current definition really only looks at the facade, not the complete state of a building. So property owners can improve how a building looks from the outside so that it doesn’t classify as derelict.

Even if you are using a back room for storage, you shouldn’t be allowed to leave the building to crumble.

The Government has said that they will change that definition and reform the Derelict Property Tax. Dublin deserves better, neither of those things can wait.”

Speaking of derelict buildings that have been purchased by Dublin City Council, only to be found to be too dilapidated to turn into social housing, Cllr Horner said:

“Dublin Central needs more social housing in every area, and having buildings lying empty is an insult to people who have been waiting for years on housing lists.

Tackling dereliction is at the very root of improving communities across the city and for that to happen, our Derelict Sites Register must accurately capture the amount of buildings that are falling into dilapidation.”