Restoring buildings 'better for emission targets than new builds'

Campaigner Jude Sherry told conference she and her partner returned to Cork after years abroad to 'find massive scales of decay, dereliction, and disrespect for the built heritage in the city'. File picture: Denis Minihane

Restoring derelict buildings would make a vast difference to Ireland achieving its greenhouse gas emission targets rather than relying on new builds, a leading campaigner has said. 

Jude Sherry, a long-time advocate of derelict building restoration with partner Frank O'Connor, said it was "heartbreaking" that derelict buildings were still lying idle despite the record numbers of homeless.