Liam Mannix: Impressive solutions being used to tackle Ireland's empty towns but more needed
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It is difficult to think of any town in Ireland that does not have a problem with dereliction.
Even some of our most prosperous places have an excessive number of vacant buildings. This appears particularly baffling given the obvious economic potential.
Over the past few weeks the Ireland’s empty towns articles have illustrated the consequences of such dereliction.
They have also presented an impressive set of solutions that various communities, local authorities and individuals are using to fight back.
Inspired by what came before, I have scaled up some of the ideas from the previous pieces and added some more suggestions on how to solve the problem of dereliction in our towns. I have attempted to make sure that the possible solutions supplied below fit within the government’s recently published housing strategy, Housing for All.
We simply don’t know the exact number of derelict buildings in our towns. The 2016 census uncovered 183,312 vacant dwellings nationally.
In the recent Q2 2021 GeoDirectory Residential Buildings Report, a figure of 92,135 vacant dwellings was given. The methodologies vary between the two surveys.
Regardless, neither includes the larger non-residential buildings that often dominate town centres.
A way forward is to significantly expand the amount of town centre health checks being carried out nationally.
These surveys can quantify and map vacancy and the underuse of upper floors.
This provides the information needed to understand the issue, prepare a plan and measure progress.
Our town centres are dominated by older structures built before World War 2. These are buildings constructed mostly of stone, brick, lime mortar, timber and slate.
For many prospective buyers these buildings appear just too risky. Often, to the untrained eye a largely superficial repair issue can be misconstrued as a significant structural problem.
Effectively, things can seem worse than they actually are. There is also a misconception that most old structures are legally protected when this is the case for only a small minority.
Combined, these create a perception of old buildings being too much trouble and risky. There is indeed risk. However, that risk can be significantly reduced by understanding the building and the planning process.
In the Scottish city of Stirling, the Traditional Buildings Health Check scheme provides low-cost surveys of older homes and buildings from surveyors experienced in historic structures. The scheme also offers grant support and guidance on the process of undertaking repairs.
One of the key benefits of the scheme is that for property owners the survey and supports give confidence to conduct repairs. For prospective buyers, the building report - once provided by the current owner - is an expert, independent assessment of the structure, available at zero cost to them.
If a vacant structure is legally protected, the additional barriers to development caused by extra regulation can be significantly reduced through accessing professional advice. Assistance from private sector planners and architects cost money.
There are excellent Architectural Conservation Officers in various local authorities that could help current and prospective owners of protected structures. Unfortunately, less than half of our local authorities have an Architectural Conservation Officer.
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Of those that do, only four have more than one Architectural Conservation Officer on staff. This severely limits the ability for the public to access free, independent advice that would remove much of the anxiety connected with owning a protected structure and modifying it for modern life.
Adequately staffed architectural conservation teams with support from local authority archaeologists, Heritage Officers and planners would be a strong information resource that would facilitate the sensitive re-use of protected structures.
The new national housing strategy calls for at least 2,500 vacant properties to be acquired over the next five years by local authorities via compulsory purchase orders (CPO). The properties are then to be prepared for sale.
Although each local authority has a Vacant Home Officer and will be supported by advice from The Housing Agency, a more ambitious target would be enabled through the creation of vacant home units.
Appropriately resourced, these units should then be presented with rising annual targets as their experience and efficiency increases.
Doing some simple maths on the 2,500 base target means each of the 31 local authorities acquiring 16 properties annually through CPO.
Surely, when it is considered that in three years Louth County Council acquired over 90 houses, a national target of 5,000 by 2026 still seems modest?
If every local authority purchased 65 vacant buildings per annum that could be brought back into use for housing, over 2,000 properties would be made available annually.
Larger structures with no housing use could also be subjected to CPOs and either refurbished for community use or released to the market.
While advice on repair works and greater provision of grants will encourage the re-use of vacant structures, the stick of tax is also needed to prompt development. Although we complain about property tax, it is low by international levels.
Certainly, it is not high enough to prompt the development or sale of a vacant property. For example, a simple early 20th century house in Cork City valued between €150k-€200k will cost €338 to tax for 2021.
This is during a time when it is increasing in value as an asset with no inputs. The result is that the property owner can still pay the tax and be richer at the end of the year.
Many owners of vacant properties do not have the ability to develop their properties. Others simply don’t financially need to take on the risk of redevelopment when the status quo is working for them. In these situations, a vacant house tax is required to motivate either re-use or sale.
The government’s Housing for All strategy only commits to assessing the merits of introducing a vacant property tax once the Local Property Tax returns in November are in. This looks like a political move to put off a necessary but contentious action.
My own view is that vacant buildings are effectively a tax on everyone who doesn’t own that building. For instance, vacant dwellings reduce the pool of housing thereby increasing house prices.
This perversely rewards inaction. On the other hand, visually prominent derelict buildings can decrease property values and economic vitality by undermining the desirability of an area.
Unavailable vacant homes also push individuals and agencies to spend more money on new constructions rather than cheaper refurbishments. Finally, new builds also expend far more carbon than the refurbishment of existing dwellings.
Combined, all this means that long-term vacancy of homes and other buildings reduces the prosperity of all those who do not own vacant buildings and impacts on the accessibility of a proper home for those struggling to buy or even rent a place of their own.
For those reasons, a vacancy tax in towns is both required and justified.
- Liam Mannix is Director at Research and Dig and an Assistant Lecturer at TUD