Derelict sites must be put back into good use

Building houses per se is not the answer to homelessness and neither is clearing up derelict sites.

Derelict sites clearly reflect an attitude in society that it is alright for people to buy up property and allow it to become derelict over the years while they amass a bigger site.

Student bodies carried out a study which showed public bodies own as much as one third of such derelict sites. That is an incredible waste of resources and we are allowing it to happen.

Ultimately, we have to move towards the solution whereby if the land or house is not used within a reasonable time, owners should be asked to convert it to good social use, for example community halls for the young and elderly, or housing units for the elderly. If the land is of unknown ownership the State should be able to acquire it and develop it.

The example I saw in Belgium would be helpful. There, instead of local authorities spending money in pursuing owners who are hidden behind phalanxes of legal advisers and solicitors, authorities are permitted to append a notice to the derelict site asking the owner to come forward within a specified period or otherwise it would be assumed there was not an owner and the property and it will become public property.

This may get a quick response from those who are shy to admit ownership of derelict land. It would help also to make way for much needed housing for the thousands of homeless families.

Cllr Noel Collins

St Judes

Midleton

Co Cork