Vacant pubs don't need planning to be converted for housing, Government says

Westmeath Minister of State Peter Burke has today (Friday) welcomed the signing of planning regulations that will exempt the conversion of former pubs into residential units from requiring planning permission.

The new exemption for the conversion of former pubs into a home, or homes, will apply in cases where the pub's license has already lapsed.

A maximum of nine residential units will be permitted under the planning exemption.

The measure is contained in an extension of 2018 Planning Regulations which allowed a change of use of certain vacant commercial premises - including vacant areas above ground-floor premises - to residential uses such as 'above shop' living.

The Government said the exemptions were designed to increase the re-use of vacant commercial buildings in the Midlands and elsewhere in order to grow housing supply and renew urban areas.

Since 2018, 41 residential units have been provided in Westmeath through 19 notifications of exempted developments. The regulations, signed by Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien, will now extend the exemption to the end of 2025.

Commenting on the new regulations, Minister Burke said the conversion of vacant properties into occupied homes was a major element of the Government's 'Housing For All' plan.

"Unfortunately, towns and villages in Westmeath have seen pubs close their doors for the last time in recent years, not least over the last two years," he said.

"This new planning regulation will ease the planning burden for those who want to convert small and medium-sized pubs that are no longer viable and have ceased to operate, into residential housing for Westmeath.

"The regulations will also continue to make it easier to get other forms of vacant commercial premises in Westmeath, including vacant spaces over ground floor premises, back into use for residential purposes such as 'over the shop' living."

It was also announced today that funding had been increased in order for full-time 'Vacant Homes Officers' (VHOs) to be provided in every local authority.

The Department of Housing has told local authorities that it would increase its annual contribution to the funding of local authorities' Vacant Homes Offices from €50,000 to €60,000 per annum, subject to the local authority’s VHO being full-time role.

Since 2018, the Department has made funding of €50,000 per annum available to each local authority to support the work of a Vacant Homes Office, including the funding of posts of VHO.

The Department said it was supporting Local Authorities to ensure the role of a VHO was "focused on relevant actions in Housing for All," and would complement the role of Town Regeneration Officers which are due to be provided under the recently-launched Town Centre First strategy.

Earlier this month, at an event in Moate, the Government launched the Town Centre First strategy which aims to help make towns "more viable and attractive places in which to live, work, visit and run a business."

The Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, said the planning exemptions announced today "dovetail nicely" with the Town Centre First plan.

"The issue of vacancy, both above-shop and retail, has had a huge impact on the vibrancy of our town centres and, along with a range of recent grant and incentive programmes on heritage-led regeneration and mobility, feeds into the welcome rethinking of our urban centres that is happening now, post-pandemic," he said.