Council targets 65 Laois properties for compulsory purchase

Laois County Council has targeted 65 properties for compulsory purchase and begun action in one case this year. 

The compulsory acquisition process begins when engagement with the owner has not resulted in the vacant or derelict property being brought back into use. 

After it attempts to contact the owner of a property, the council will begin to act if the property hasn’t been made available for social housing or placed for sale on the open market. 

In a bid to increase the amount of vacant properties being brought back into use, Laois County Council set itself a target of 60 vacant and derelict properties to enter the acquisition programme and 16 CPOs(Compulsory Purchase Orders)  compulsory acquisitions to commence in 2023.

So far it has identified 65 properties to target and commenced the CPO process in relation to one property.

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A survey of 698 properties so far this year has resulted in the council identifying 400 vacant properties and 23 derelict units in the county. The council is continuing to survey properties countywide and has a similar number of properties yet to survey.