Empty buildings cost €1m a year

ALMOST €1 million is being wasted annually on maintaining vacant Enterprise Ireland buildings in Glasnevin, it has emerged.

The building has been empty since Enterprise Ireland merged its Dublin offices in 2008 and moved to a new headquarters in East Point Business Park.

Leo Varadkar, who obtained the information in response to a parliamentary question, said it was “extraordinary” that the Government is spending nearly €1m maintaining these vacant buildings, while it spends hundreds of millions renting office accommodation from private landlords.

“If the Government cannot sell the site it should start using the building and instead vacate privately-owned office accommodation,” he said.

According to Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O’Keefe, it had been intended that the Glasnevin site be used for affordable housing. With thousands of affordable homes now lying empty and which cannot be sold, the site is no longer being used for the scheme.

Mr O’Keefe said that while the Glasnevin site, which is owned by Enterprise Ireland, was vacated in September 2008, the National Meteorology Laboratory remains on a part of it.

“The remainder of the Glasnevin site was assigned to the Affordable Housing Initiative by a Government decision made in April 2008,” he said.

“Following the completion of a feasibility study by the Affordable Homes Partnership, the Government decided on 13 January 2010 that the site was no longer required for the scheme.”

According to Mr O’Keefe, the cost of maintaining the Glasnevin site is approximately €1m per annum, made up of local authority rates €620, 000, security €240,000, heat/light/power €120,000 and general maintenance €20,000. Mr O’Keefe said there are annual savings of approximately €3m, in addition to significant operational efficiencies, resulting from the Dublin HQ centralisation move. He said the OPW is carrying out an evaluation of the site to determine its best utilisation for public service use.