Green Senator introduces Bill to tackle vacancy and dereliction

The solution to Ireland’s housing crisis is hiding in plain sight, says Senator Malcolm Noonan, as it’s estimated around 100,000 properties are lying empty across the country. 

The potential to deliver thousands of homes in our town and city centres by tackling vacancy and dereliction is a solution hiding in plain sight to Ireland’s deepening housing crisis. 

That’s according to Green Party Senator Malcolm Noonan, who today introduced a Bill that would help local authorities and individuals to unlock the potential in vacant properties, derelict buildings and above shop premises and bring them back into residential use. 

The Dereliction and Building Regeneration Bill 2025, if passed at Second Stage in Seanad Éireann today, could help to deliver around 11,000 homes a year. The Bill is co-sponsored by Labour Senators Laura Harmon and Neasa Cosgrove and Social Democrat Senator Patricia Stephenson, and aims to tackle the scourge of vacancy and dereliction with simple, practical measures and a three-pronged approach that that would: 

• Amend existing legislation in relation to derelict property.
• Allow for effective taxation measures to tackle vacancy.
• Streamline the processes of upgrading existing buildings and converting ‘above the shop’. 

“I firmly believe there is nothing more galling to people who can’t get a home than the proliferation of vacant and derelict buildings on our streets, and this Bill will be the third time in less than ten years that the Green Party has tried to advance legislation to activate and accelerate the most obvious solution to Ireland’s housing crisis, and that’s turning those empty buildings into homes,” Senator Noonan said. 

“The Green Party has always believed we should be looking to our village, town and city centres as potential contributors to a viable housing solution, instead of supporting and encouraging a model of urban sprawl that increases car dependency and commuting times while our town centres die a death. 

“Our aim with this Bill is to help unlock some of that potential in our town and city centres, to encourage and incentivise smart, compact development, and to contribute positively to the regeneration of our town centres as vibrant, nature rich, inclusive urban spaces.” 

Among the practical measures included in the legislation are proposals to amend the Derelict Sites Act and broaden the definition of a derelict property; to require local authorities to publish the derelict sites register online; to modernise the methods of servicing notice to owners; and to compel local authorities to start acquiring sites once they are on the register for two years. 

The Bill also proposes establishing an innovative new planning and building control process; a ‘one stop shop’ under a proposed Town Centres First application process. 

“The onerous system of consents and compliance to get a refurbishment project off the ground remains a persistent concern of many architects and owners of older derelict properties, especially those looking at ‘above the shop’ living,” Senator Noonan explains. 

“This legislation would see the establishment of such a service in every local authority in Ireland, bringing together inter-disciplinary teams of Architectural Conservation Officers, Town Centres First officers, planners, engineers and other professionals to get an application through the system as quickly and painlessly as possible. It’s something that conservation professionals and architects have been calling for many years.” 

Finally, the Bill proposes the introduction of an Empty Homes Tax – a new category under the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act of 2012 – set at 3% of a property’s market value, to be collected by Revenue. A similar measure introduced in Vancouver in 2017 led to a 25% reduction in vacant properties. 

The new tax category would introduce a new definition for a relevant residential property as one that has been vacant for at least 180 days in the preceding year with exemptions if the owner is in care, moved temporarily for work purposes, if the property is a holiday home, or is undergoing renovations. 

Green Party Housing Spokesperson, Cork City Councillor Oliver Moran said: 

"The housing crisis is not just about building new homes. It’s about making the most of what we already have. Our town centres are full of empty buildings that could be transformed into much-needed homes. 

"This Bill is a practical solution to a pressing problem. By repurposing derelict buildings in our town centres, we can tackle the housing crisis, reduce urban sprawl, and create vibrant urban communities. 

"We have the buildings, we have the need, and we see the urgency. We need the political will to drive this forward. This Bill is the right direction to go in, and I urge all Senators to support it."