'Bringing Back Homes – Manual for the reuse of existing buildings' aims to help increase housing supply as well as rejuvenate town centres and city streets.
Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Damien English introduced the manual today, 10 April, as part of the government's 'Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness'.
Minister English said: "The centres of our towns and cities contain a large amount of underused built stock, including unused or underused floors above ground-floor retail premises. To increase the supply of new homes, we must encourage the reuse of such floor space for residential use. Revitalising our main streets through well-designed refurbishment of residential units, particularly above shops, could help to increase housing stock and rejuvenate smaller town centres and city streets."
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The manual provides clear and detailed guidance on the current policy and regulatory requirements applying to development of vacant buildings. It contains:
• an outline of the process and issues to be considered when developing existing buildings for residential purposes. It applies these procedures to four common building types that lie vacant in towns and cities across Ireland
• a suite of reuse options for the four common building types and elaborates on the complexity associated with each option
• an overview of the technical requirements associated with creating 'over the shop' space into residential units.
The manual will work as a resource to support the work of the vacant homes officers in local authorities.
Minister English concluded: "Through the publication of this manual the Government is providing another support to those who can reuse existing buildings for housing stock or the rejuvenation of our towns and streets. This is a valuable contribution to addressing the challenges we face in the area of housing, including combating homelessness, and urban regeneration."
(CM/MH)
