Kerry County Council has made public its intentions to acquire six separate derelict properties in the county.
The properties are spread between Tralee, Castleisland, Listowel, and Killarney.
The local authority intends to use a process known as a compulsory purchase order (CPO), under its powers as per the Derelict Sites Act.
It comes as the council’s annual budget meeting was told that going forward, the local authority will be acquiring more properties on the derelict sites register by CPO.
The council has published its intention to compulsorily acquire six derelict sites; owners, lessees or occupiers can submit objections to the proposed CPOs until January 22nd, 2025.
The properties include three in Tralee: the semi-detached bungalow Gregory House in Clash West, a two-storey detached also in Clash, and a terraced two-storey house at 19 Kerins Park.
The council also wants to CPO a two-storey semi-detached derelict property at 31 Desmonds Avenue in Castleisland, and an end-of-terrace bungalow at 8 Charles Street in Listowel.
The last property is a mid-terrace house at 6 St Mary’s Terrace on St Mary’s Road in Killarney.
The six properties intended for CPO represents over a third of properties on the council’s derelict sites register; there are currently 17 properties on the register.
This followed a full review of the register earlier this year, following changes in national guidance around addressing dereliction.
This review involved all sites being removed from the register, and then individually assessed, and since then those 17 properties have been placed back on it.
Kerry County Council has told Radio Kerry it’s envisaged more properties will be re-entered to the derelict sites register before the end of the year.
The Derelict Sites Act allows for local authorities to use the CPO process for derelict properties, and Kerry County Council had been criticised in recent years for not taking advantage of this to reduce dereliction.
At the council’s recent annual budget meeting, Chief Executive Martin O’Donoghue said they will be stepping up the use of the CPO scheme, and going forward, a placing of the site on the derelict sites register will be an indication the council will CPO it.
