Councillor criticises delay in pay out of Croí Conaithe Vacant Homes grants in Tipperary

Tipperary County Council has sanctioned 211 Croí Conaithe Vacant Homes Grant applications worth over €11.337m but approved applicants are being put under financial pressure due to a delay in paying them out.

Independent Cllr Máirín McGrath highlighted at Tipperary County Council’s latest monthly meeting that she was aware of a few people waiting months to receive the grant that is only paid out after the renovation works on a vacant property are completed.

“It’s difficult enough when you have to pay the money up front but then waiting months to get it (the grant) paid out gives people a lack of confidence in the grant,” the Newcastle councillor told Council management.

Croí Conaithe is a new Government grant scheme set up to assist people with renovating vacant and derelict properties to bring them back into use as residential homes.

Approved applicants can receive grants of up to €50,000 with an extra €20,000 available where an engineer certifies the building as derelict or dangerous.

There has been a big demand for the grants in county Tipperary. According to Tipperary County Council's January Management Report, 332 Croí Conaithe grant applications have been submitted to the council with 211 approved to date.

The report outlines that there is approval in principal for grants valued at €11,337,600 to facilitate the reintroduction of more than 200 buildings into use as residential homes.

However, the reports adds that no grants have been paid out to date.

Tipperary County Council’s Director of Housing Services Sinead Carr responded that the Council had about 20 Croí Conaithe applications approved for payment, which was “slightly ahead of the posse” compared to other councils.

Those approved applications had to go through the legal department before the sanction was given for the pay out. She expected grant payments to happen more quickly and efficiently once the first ones are processed