Westmeath allocated €2.5 million to end long-term vacancy and dereliction

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, has announced that County Westmeath will receive €2.5 million from a fund to end long-term vacancy and dereliction. The fund aims to transform locations across the country, promote vibrant communities in our urban centres and provide more homes where people can live close to local services and amenities.

Announced as part of the quarterly Housing for All progress update, the funding will be available to Westmeath County Council under the Urban Regeneration Development Fund (URDF) and will act as a revolving fund meaning it can be replenished and used into the future

Minister O’Brien said:

“Today we are announcing details of a fund to specifically tackle long term vacancy and dereliction within towns and cities. This fund will help restore the urban heart of many of our communities, including those in Westmeath. It will also provide more homes in urban centres where people can live close to local services, amenities and employment and, indeed, has the potential to be truly transformative.

“This Government has consistently said we will use every tool in our armoury to get to grips with our housing challenges and that is exactly what we are doing. Through this fund we will increase the pace at which vacant and derelict buildings are brought back into productive use as new homes for people.”

This fund complements a number of measures to tackle vacancy within Housing for All, the Government’s housing plan for Ireland which is available at www.gov.ie/housingforall. The plan’s overall objective is: ‘Everyone in the State should have access to a home to purchase or rent at an affordable price, built to a high standard and in the right place, offering a high quality of life.”