Over €3.5 million has been paid out so far this year in vacant property grants in Kerry.
Independent councillor Jackie Healy-Rae praised the success of the grant at the recent meeting of Kerry County Council.
He said while it’s not perfect, it’s clearly working.
The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant was introduced in the summer of 2022, with grants of €50,000 available to renovate a vacant property, and €70,000 for a derelict property.
Once an applicant is approved, they have 13 months to complete the works and submit documentation to draw down the funding.
At its recent monthly meeting, Kerry County Council confirmed that up to 4th November, over €5.8 million has been paid out to people renovating vacant or derelict properties in Kerry.
This total amount has been used to renovate 108 properties in the county, which Independent councillor Jackie Healy-Rae said could mean as many as 320 people could now be housed in formerly boarded-up properties in Kerry.
Of the €5.8 million paid out since 2022, over €3.5 million has been paid out this year alone.
At this stage, 58% of applications have been approved, with just 7% refused, while 18% were closed, 9% were withdrawn, and 7% are currently being processed.
It marks a significant upturn in the number of grants paid out by Kerry County Council since the first year of the grant.
In the first ten months of the grant, just four of the 451 applicants had actually received money, while 47 applications were refused.
In the two and a half years since then, only seven more applications have been outright refused in Kerry, while 104 more grants have been paid out.
Independent councillor Jackie Healy-Rae said this is a success and every single home turned around is positive, but called on the council to re-double its efforts in encouraging more people to apply.
