Donegal County Council says it has received 424 applications for Vacant Property Refurbishment Grants. Of those, 150 have been approved and 16 rejected.
Four of the applicants have completed the works and these are currently being processed for payment, with one fully paid at this stage.
In the Dail this week, Deputy Pearse Doherty claimed the scheme had been a failure, saying no grants had been drawn down in Donegal.
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Statement in full –
The Council administers the Croi Conaithe Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant Scheme on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The grant schemes, which came into operation in July 2022, provides grants to property owners to refurbish properties that have been vacant for two years or more for use as their principle private residence or to be made available for rent. The level of grant funding available is €50,000 or €70,000 if the property is derelict. The grants are increased by 20% for off-shore island properties. To date, the Council have processed 424 applications with 150 approved and 16 rejected on the basis that they do not meet the scheme criteria mainly relating to the proposed works or that the property has not been vacant for two years or more and built on or before 2007. The balance of applications is either awaiting further information from the applicant or at first technical inspection stage. There are four applicants who have completed the works and these are currently being processed for payment, with one applicant fully paid at this stage.
