Why can't Mayo find 'balance' to turn derelict properties into homes?
by Caoimhín Rowland
Irish life continues to be dominated by a housing crisis driven by a leadership class unwilling or unable to use the tools at their disposal to resolve over 15 years of under-supply and inertia when it comes to neglecting the needs of a growing population.
The national conversation has moved on from the much-trumpeted Housing Tsar to the latest sideshow, a blame game over how to anoint the head for the Housing Activation Office transparently.
Another week, another distraction.
In Mayo, across from the Mall, stands the largest monument to our housing failure, a vacant, ghostly structure soaked in historical symbolism.
It’s a telling sight in a country that seemingly cannot get the job done.
And yet, speaking with a friend recently returned from a successful stint in Australia, the contradiction is plain: “The Irish are loved down under. They work hard, they deliver,” he told me.
So why can’t we be let do it here?
The answer, in part, lies in red tape, over-regulation, and a Kafkaesque bureaucracy that smothers ambition and drowns initiative.
Doers are blocked at every turn. It’s why so many leave.
Thinking outside the box is almost alien within local authorities, where square pegs are rammed into round holes with institutionalised insistence.
That’s one core reason why we’ve failed to tackle vacancy and dereliction head-on.
But then you look at Limerick County Council. The treaty county is living proof that the system can work when the will is present.
There, civil servants and councillors took action.
Limerick County Council created a dedicated team within the housing unit to tackle dereliction and vacancy, supported not only by management but also by councillors who committed the financial backing to make it happen.
They ran campaigns, engaged with communities, and didn’t let perfect be the enemy of good; essentially they are getting the job done.
Compare that to Mayo, where the council spends three times more on roads than on housing. No wonder progress is elusive.
In many ways, it’s easier to pave over potholes than it is to deal with absentee owners or navigate decades of neglect. But that doesn’t excuse inaction.
Limerick was responsible for half of all Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) across Ireland last year.
Meanwhile, Mayo has close to 300 properties on its derelict sites register, but CSO and GeoDirectory data tell us the true number is several times higher.
In the small parish of Addergoole alone, where I serve as chair of Lahardane Development Company, we’ve documented over 100 derelict sites.
Walk this town and you’ll hit a higher number before clocking a thousand steps. It’s not just anecdotal, it’s glaringly obvious.
We’re told it’s a resource issue.
And yet, councillors aren’t prioritising funding for staff with strategic roles focused on dereliction.
Mayo’s housing department is under immense pressure, but without direction and resourcing, nothing moves. Local government can’t run on good intentions alone. It requires skilled, committed people to lead change on the ground, with the backing of the councillors and the top table. It means money.
Nearly 4,000 vacant or derelict sites have sat untouched in Mayo since the 2016 census.
The same windows were dark in 2022. Landmarks like the Imperial Hotel have languished even longer. These buildings should be community landmarks we are proud of, and homes bustling with life, not symbols of decay in the heart of our towns.
Where is the strategic will or capital investment to turn these into homes for those who desperately need them?
Yes, Mayo County Council is reluctant to use CPOs, viewing the maligned procedure as an option of last resort.
Understandably, it's preferable to reach a negotiated solution with property owners. But the facts are clear, negotiations aren’t delivering, and the resources aren’t there.
Ideally, it would take one year of investment by the council to fund a dedicated vacancy and dereliction team like the one requested by Harry Barrett. Initial cost could then cover itself by collecting the legally applicable levies placed upon owners of derelict buildings; that would cover the cost and more of a sizeable dedicated unit in Mayo County Council.
The impact of reviving a vacant property cannot be overstated.
Dereliction brings with it a sense of emptiness and decay. It invites anti-social behaviour. In contrast, reactivating these homes injects life, vitality, and hope into towns and villages that are so desperately needed when countless young people are locked out of homes and the best and brightest depart for pastures new, sick to their back teeth living at home with their parents, potentially into their 40s.
A more proactive approach from the council could also reduce the number of holiday homes that sit idle most of the year. Local authorities know who needs housing and where. Bringing existing homes back into use creates visible demand, encouraging private developers to step in with confidence.
Councillor Alma Gallagher deserves praise for her mention at the recent municipal district meeting.
She has experience in the housing sector across east and south Mayo, and has consistently made the case against hollowing out former commercial sites in towns like Ballyhaunis.
She’s right, it will come back to bite.
We’re seeing the hollowing of town centres, with once-bustling streets reduced to hollow façades.
As Councillor Gerry Murray aptly said, the council is biting the hand that feeds it by losing valuable rate-paying properties.
Utilise the resources available, dial down on the roads for a year and fund a derelict team (no need for a tsar), then when levies are collected, they will pay for themselves.
Balance is key, and all we can do now is hope they find it before it’s too late.