On 17 December 2018, Damien English T.D., Minister for Housing and Urban Development published the Report of the Working Group on the Reuse of Existing Buildings and Bringing Back Homes Manual for the Reuse of Existing Buildings.

 

As part of the overarching policy document Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, Action 5.21 the Government is committed to bringing vacant and partially vacant properties back into use.

The Bringing Back Homes manual is aimed at property owners, members of the public, local authorities and stakeholders in the construction industry who are interested in developing vacant buildings.  It also complements the new planning exemption introduced earlier this year, which allows the change of use of vacant commercial buildings to domestic use without having to go through the planning process. 

The manual will also support the work of the vacant homes offices in local authorities, which create a central point of contact for those interested in developing existing buildings.

A copy of the manual and report are available here.