Sir, – The CSO figures released as part of the report Housing in Ireland noted over 95,000 empty properties in urban areas. This figure does not include properties which require work to make them habitable nor does it include potential homes that could be created from converting empty or underused commercial spaces to housing units.
The Peter McVerry Trust believes that by improving how we use our built environment we can significantly increase the availability of housing, across all tenure types.
At a time when new supply is limited and slow to arrive reusing what exists can be delivered faster, cheaper and on a scale that would immediately decrease pressures on the housing system.
In many respects a solution to the housing crisis has already been built, we just need to put what we have to best use. – Yours, etc,
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PAT DOYLE,
Chief Executive,
Peter McVerry Trust,
Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1.