Mayo sets an unwanted record for derelict properties
Mayo's vacancy rate is among the highest in the country
Mayo is the county with the highest level of dereliction and is among the counties with the highest vacancy rate.
However, the latest GeoDirectory Residential Buildings Report showed an increase in residential construction activity in Mayo during 2023 and a drop in the overall level of vacancy and dereliction.
Some 495 new Mayo addresses were added to the GeoDirectory database in the 12 months up to December 2023, a 10% increase from the 12 months up to December 2022. In addition, there were 519 buildings under construction in the county and 422 housing commencements were recorded in Mayo last year.
In terms of the county’s housing stock, 84.8% of houses are occupied in county Mayo, which is almost 10% less than the national housing, which is 94.4%. Some 4.5% of the housing stock in Mayo are holiday homes and a further 10.7% are vacant homes.
Leitrim was the only county to record a higher vacancy rate than Mayo. Some 12% of homes are vacant in Leitrim while 10.4% of homes are empty in Roscommon.
The highest proportion of derelict address points are located on the west coast of Ireland, with Mayo registering the highest concentration, at 13.7% of the national figure.
The Director of Housing with Mayo County Council Tom Gilligan told the that while these figures are high, he is confident the council’s approach will result in a change for the better.
“Vacancy and dereliction is a scourge on society. Dereliction causes significant negative economic and environmental impacts and we are becoming a lot more proactive in terms of things like CPOs (compulsory purchase orders).”
Mr Gilligan said the rate of vacancy has dropped within the county year-on-year and the council is on a good trajectory to be able to deal with this issue.
“There has been a decrease from 11.2% recorded in December 2022 to 10.7% in December 2023 and we see great opportunities in terms of schemes like Croí Conaithe Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant under which we have received 398 applications thus far,” he said.
Mr Gilligan said a lack of resources, such as building contractors, has been an issue but the council's housing office is focused on providing solutions with what is available to it.
