Donegal had 39 planning exemptions to convert vacant commercial properties to homes

New figures show a total of 40 notifications were received by Donegal County Council to change suitable commercial premises into homes in the years from 2018 until 2023.

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien published the figures, which, if realised, have the potential to result in 72 new homes across the county.

Specifically, in 2023, a total of 267 change of use notifications were received by local authorities across the country. Properties with a previous commercial use showing the highest potential include former shops (30% of notifications received), followed by services such as barbers and accountants (18%), offices (18%) and public houses (12% of notifications received).

Since the exemption was extended to include public houses in 2022, seven notifications for a change of use relating to vacant public houses have been received by Donegal County Council during 2022 and 2023, which would provide 16 new homes if developed. Nationally, during the same period, 92 such notifications have been received by local authorities with the potential to provide 295 new homes if developed.

Turning vacant properties into occupied homes is a key pillar of the government’s Housing for All Plan. The planning exemptions, introduced by The Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2018, and extended by S.I. No. 75/2022, remove the requirement for planning permission to convert certain types of vacant commercial properties into homes until the end of 2025.

‘’This is one of a suite of measures which has proved effective in encouraging potential homeowners to convert vacant commercial buildings to residential use such as ‘above shop’ living in County Donegal, to increase housing supply and drive the regeneration of our town centres,” Minister O’Brien said.

“Refurbishment and the return to use of such commercial properties help to reduce pressure on existing housing stock, increase supply, and ultimately, provides much-needed homes for people in more vibrant communities across the country.’’