Council confirms plans to acquire more than 20 derelict properties across Limerick

LIMERICK City and County Council has announced it has begun the process to compulsorily acquire more than 20 derelict properties at locations across the city and county. 

In a statement, the local authority said the latest tranche of sites to be acquired were identified from the 388 entries currently on its Derelict Sites Register.

The properties identified include a number of mid-terraced houses, two-story house, neglected lands, a former guesthouse and a former schoolhouse.

They are located in the city and in a number of towns and villages such as Kilmallock, Abbeyfeale, Croom, Castleconnell, Annacotty, Daly's Cross, Feoghanagh, Dromcollogher, Athea and Patrickswell.

Over the past three years Limerick City and County Council has compulsorily acquired 145 properties with a further 21 applications currently awaiting determination by An Bord Pleanála.

There have also been a further eight vacant houses acquired for social housing through CPO under the Housing Act 1966.

Since 2019, the local authority has sold 19 of the acquired properties on the open market with a further 57 currently for sale or at sale agreed stage.

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The majority of these are residential properties needing varying degrees of renovation and are now being brought back into use by new owners.

Confirming details of the latest raft of intended acquisitions, Gordon Daly, Director of Community, Tourism and Culture with Limerick City and County Council commented: “Overall the Council is taking a very robust approach to dealing with dereliction and since 2019. We have completed over 4,200 inspections of derelict and vacant properties in Limerick. This has resulted in over 1,500 statutory notices being served on property owners under Derelict Site Act, 1990, indicating the considerable level of work being undertaken in this area.”

Mr Daly added: “In a large number of cases, owners of properties engage with the Council and a significant amount of housing stock has been brought back into use arising from this activity.”