Tipperary council approves first 37 grants to assist with renovation of vacant properties

Tipperary County Council has so far approved in principle 37 of the 94 applications it has received for Croí Conaithe Fund grants to assist with transforming empty or derelict buildings into homes. 

The Croí Conaithe Vacant Property Grant Scheme, which provides a grant of up to €50,000 to refurbish properties, is one of a series of affordable housing schemes the council is working on rolling out in  the county. 

The council’s Housing Section updated councillors on the progress of these  initiatives at its March monthly meeting in a written response to a motion on the issue tabled by Clonmel Cllr Siobhán Ambrose. 

 A further update was given at last week’s special council meeting on the housing crisis. 

Affordable Housing schemes are targeted at  so-called “squeezed middle” income people who earn too much to qualify for social housing but not enough to buy a home in the private housing market. 

On the Croí Conaithe Fund, the council outlined the scheme has been expanded to include empty houses in rural areas as well as  in towns and villages. 

The scheme offers a grant of up to €30,000 and an extra €20,000 is available where an engineer certifies the building as derelict or dangerous.

Properties upgraded for rental purposes will become eligible for the Croí Conaithe Vacant Property Grant Scheme from May 1 and grant levels will be reviewed. 

The  Ready to Build Scheme is where the council develops serviced sites on property it controls or owns  in communities with population of more than 400 people and sells them at a discount of discount of up to €30,000 on their market value to first time home buyers and people qualifying under the Fresh Start principle (where you previously owned a home but no longer do so due to circumstances ranging from bankruptcy to divorce).  

Tipperary County Council has identified a pilot Ready to Build scheme of four self-build housing sites in Boherlahan, which will be advertised for sale in the second quarter of 2023, which is within the next three months.  

“There is a significant legal and administrative process to be set up in advance of this scheme being ready and this will require a substantial allocation of resources. 

“Once this scheme is underway, we intend to look at suitable sites in other areas of the county,” the council explained. 

The council  also has some positive news in relation to the First Home Scheme where the Government provides a loan that bridges the gap between the purchase price and the amount the house purchaser can raise through mortgage. 

Under the scheme, the bridging loan can be up to 30% of the purchase price of the house. 

This loan was previously subject to a house price ceiling of €250,000 for Tipperary but after engaging with the Department of Housing about the average “all in” cost of building a home in this county, the council  has secured an increase in the house price ceiling to €325,000.  

The council’s Director of Housing Services Sinead Carr said a number of private housing developers her department has been engaging with are interested in the scheme. 

The council also reports it intends to offer affordable properties for sale under the Affordable Purchase Scheme to qualifying applicants. 

The scheme helps people on moderate incomes to buy new homes at reduced prices. The local authority takes a percentage stake in your home that covers the reduction in price. 

“A call will be made in the next couple of months to seeks expressions of interest from developers who have planning permission in the key towns of Clonmel, Thurles and Nenagh, and who have an interest in the provision of affordable homes,” it explained.

“It is envisaged that these housing estates will be “mixed use” developments of privately owned, affordable and social housing. 

The council plans to raise greater public awareness of the various affordable housing schemes through a media campaign. 

Cllr Ambrose welcomed the council’s response to her motion and expressed the hope they will help young people in the county who are finding it difficult to purchase their first home and also people in second relationships or have married a second time to access the housing market.

Ms Carr said a lot of work has being going on behind the scenes on all the affordable housing schemes, which were quite disparate and complex, and the council will start to see some progress in terms of housing grants over the next year.