Derelict houses in Dublin

[Soonenough]

In Dublin yesterday . Walking from Dorset towards O Connell . So many shitty run down Georgian houses . If property is such a premium why have so many been left like this ? Too costly to renovate perhaps ? Couldn't government CPO them and do something useful , perhaps reasonable rent for Mater workers , etc. Seems such a waste and makes the place look so run down and manky .

Yes, it costs a bomb to renovate a period property (properly) and once an area is on the slide, then there's even less incentive to do so.

Do you know why the area has gone downhill? Loss of jobs, amenities or something else?

It's the same all over Ireland. I considered doing a project photographing and mapping all the derelict houses in my county but there were so many it would have taken years. A lot of the time it's lack of money to do them up. Plus lack of skilled tradespeople to get the job done. Or owners who inherited them and CBA to sort them out.
You can see some of them for sale on the property sites though and the price people are expecting for what you get is part of the problem. They're dreaming. So then they just sit on them, not selling them to anyone, meanwhile the property falls further and further into disrepair making it less likely anyone will buy it. Some of them have been for sale for years and the sellers just never seem to work out that dropping the price significantly would get the property shifted. Or they just don't care enough.

Well, or they think (possibly correctly) that if they sit on them for years, they’ll be worth more money? Or developers don't want to build social housing, or a mixed residential development, they want a moneyspinner, like expensive purpose-built student housing which is unaffordable for most students, but can be filled with overseas students and tourists in summer, and will add nothing to a community because everyone involved is transient.

If you’re on Instagram, there’s an account, #DerelictIreland, which campaigns and raises awareness of derelict sites.

The council here have actually started taking over property which has long been idle and / or has no clear ownership. And not before time.

You can actually get Vacant Homes Grant . Up to €50 K and in some cases a top up bringing total to €70k . Can go a long way in refurbishing property.

This drives me bonkers too. So much space above shops that could be utilised for homes.
So many derelict or run down houses and cottages in the towns, villages and countryside of Ireland.
We need fresh thinking and a load of money thrown at this. It would help rejuvenate our towns and villages as well as giving people the homes they desperately need / want to buy.

Follow Frank O'Connor on the Derelict Ireland X account. They are doing Trojan work in highlighting this. The number of derelict properties I see in Cork is absolutely maddening.

Thanks for the tip. There's a lot of shopping centres getting planning permission with the condition they include flats. These flats remain unoccupied forever. Looking at Dunnes Stores Macroom and doubtless many others. Grow a spine Taoiseach....