A North Clare Councillor believes 1,000 of the county’s derelict homes could be brought back on stream if barriers to accessing the refurbishment grant were lifted.
The Croí Conaithe scheme currently affords a grant of €30,000 and maximum top-up of €20,000 to owners of a vacant property who intend to reside in the property on a long-term basis.
However, Fine Gael Councillor Joe Garrihy is calling on the local authority to write to the Minister for Housing, asking him to extend the grant to owners who wish to sell or lease the house to an individual for long-term occupancy.
There are currently 5,000 derelict homes in the county and Lisdoonvarna-based Councillor Garrihy, believes lifting the barriers to accessing the grant could see at least 20% brought back into use in a short space of time.
Listen to the full interview here:
