Twin Towns vacant property issues may be helped by CPO Activation Fund

The ongoing vacancy rates in Ballybofey and Stranorlar’s commercial premises may be helped through a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) Activation Fund, members of the Lifford-Stranorlar Municipal District were told at their November meeting.

Cllr Patrick McGowan (FF) had asked for a detailed update on his motion to a previous full Council meeting which agreed for a special scheme to be piloted in Ballybofey and Stranorlar to tackle the large number of empty commercial buildings as highlighted by Geo Directory.

He was told that through the CPO Activation Fund, Donegal County Council had carried out a survey of vacant and derelict properties in the Twin Towns.  

The Council had also commenced works to identify the property owners and engage with them in relation to the supports available to bring the property back into productive use.  

If owners are unwilling to engage or unwilling to activate the property, Local Authorities have statutory powers to impose annual levies and to acquire the property through a compulsory purchase order, they were told.  

The Council are also engaging with BASICC CLG to assist with this work as it is in everyone’s interest to address vacancy and dereliction.    

Cllr Martin Harley (FG) said that in relation to the wider regeneration issue, it would be prudent for a discussion or workshop to take place regarding plans, as he said there were a number of issues around the car park, that were being raised by a few people and he wanted to make sure that what was being discussed was accurate, as many had been listening to different things in the public and clarity would certainly help.

Cllr Gary Doherty (SF) said that he did not recall being briefed in relation to the CPO Activation Fund, but if it was, as discussed, “it could be very useful for us in this MD”.

“How much of that fund is available to Donegal County Council for those four steps that are identified there, identifying properties, engaging with owners, communicating the various schemes that are in place and then where the owners of derelict properties cannot be identified or are unwilling to engage, using available legislative power to compulsory purchase to acquire those properties,” he asked. 

“So for us in Ballybofey and Stranorlar, it regularly makes the national news as being the town with the highest vacancy rate or dereliction rate in the country, which is something that we have continuously been highlighting.”

He said that while there were limitations as to what Donegal County Council could do about these issues, the possibility of being in a position to purchase some of these properties and repurpose them for use “would be very much welcomed by the community” as it would in Lifford and Raphoe.

He asked for a report at the next meeting as to how many properties had been identified and surveyed and ascertain how many were vacant and how many were derelict within the MD “and what communications there has been with the owners of these properties, so that we can try and progress that and get some of these buildings CPO’d”.