Call for tax relief to bring ‘the pulse’ back to rural Kerry towns

Offering incentives to use street-front buildings in Kerry towns as homes would bring “the pulse” back into rural towns as well as helping tackle the housing waiting list, local politicians have said.

The heart has gone out of towns and villages all over Kerry and few people are living in town centres or over shops any more, a meeting of the county council was told. The change occurred in less than a generation — but with imaginative tax and grant packages and a push by county management it could be reversed.

Fianna Fáil councillor Niall Kelleher said there are 25 houses vacant on Main St in his native Rathmore.

Some are used “now and again” as holiday homes, but predominantly the houses are vacant.

He called for tax relief or grant aid to be given to owners to do up their buildings to make them attractive and suitable for “lettable” accommodation to bring “the pulse” back into the villages and towns.

The section 23 tax relief for designated areas might be the way forward, Mr Kelleher suggested.

He said: “We have often seen section 23 developments — there is no reason we couldn’t offer relief to owners to renovate these premises. It’s imperative that we get people back living in the heart of our villages and towns.”

Mr Kelleher told Moira Murrell, chief executive of Kerry:

“Manager I would ask that you would take that on at national level.”

The call to return to street living was mooted by Fine Gael Killarney area councillor Bobby O’Connell as part of “rural regeneration”.

A native of Castleisland, Mr O’Connell said that vacant shops and premises should be considered for housing.

About €30m was announced for rural regeneration at the ploughing championships in September — it is now November and there is still no detail on the package, said Independent councillor Johnny Healy-Rae.

With more than 4,000 properties, Kerry is one of the biggest local housing bodies in the country outside of Dublin. However, it also has huge waiting lists for homes. A housing stock survey is being carried out this year said Ms Murrell.

Sinn Fein councillor Robert Beasley said housing is a major problem for councillors and only 500, or 10%, of those waiting for houses received keys in 2015.

Fianna Fáil councillor John Brassil said he had obtained figures where 26.4% of all Kerry’s housing stock is vacant while the national figure is 12.24%.

“There are 12,000 unoccupied houses in Kerry,” Mr Brassil said, noting that a solution for housing is in that vacant bank.