Charity urges Government to extend vacancy legislation to allow more housing development

Pictured in November 2020 is Pat Doyle (right), CEO of the Peter McVerry Trust, with Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien, as the trust launched a new social housing programme. Picture: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

A housing and homeless charity has called on the Government to extend the deadline for a key regulation that has allowed it to bring long-term vacant buildings back into use as homes, while also tackling dereliction.

The Peter McVerry Trust said the SI30 regulation has allowed it to increase the number of one-bedroom homes it uses to rehouse people who are exiting homelessness.