News

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Donegal T.D., Charlie McConalogue, has welcomed the expansion of the Croí Conaithe Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant to include remote rural areas such as areas of County Donegal previously not included in the scheme.

Minister McConalogue commented, “The expanded Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant provides a fantastic opportunity for even more people – throughout Donegal – to refurbish vacant properties with the aim of converting them into their homes, enabling them to live in Donegal towns, villages and rural areas.

“This scheme, which shows Fianna Fáil in Government’s commitment to tackling housing, provides real practical help. It helps address vacancy through sustainable reuse of buildings, it helps revitalise our communities and, most importantly, it helps more people to own their own home. ”  

The expanded grant, which was launched by Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, now includes eligible vacant properties in remote rural areas (in addition to those in towns and villages, which have been eligible since July). The scheme’s expansion will help bring vacant and derelict properties back into residential use and ensure the existing housing stock is used to the fullest extent possible.

Under the Croí Conaithe Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant €30,000 is available to homebuyers to refurbish a home which they will live in. Where a property is derelict, a maximum top-up grant amount of up to €20,000 will be available, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €50,000. The grants can also be combined with the SEAI Better Energy Home Scheme that covers works of up to €26,750.

The grant, provided through the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund, is a key action under Housing for All, the Government’s housing plan, and supports the aims of the Our Rural Future policy. Over 420 applications have been made since the grant was initially launched on 14 July 2022.