Irish Examiner view: Utilising our idle public buildings

Recently, it has emerged that the State itself might be sitting on a property goldmine it has thus far failed to see or even explore properly

Were the Government to appoint an officer/office to collate all relevant information on vacant properties it owns, it might be surprised at what is actually available to it. Picture: Stock

The number of derelict properties across the country has already been the focus of those looking for solutions to the housing crisis. With the Government scrambling to paper over the cracks when it comes to pre-election predictions for house completions, it seems that some obvious, if left-field, answers to the problem of finding remedies to a seemingly intractable problem are actually staring us in the face.

Dereliction has long been an issue in Ireland, and property owners who have allowed otherwise suitable buildings go to rot have recently become the focus of campaigners and politicians alike — who are trying to find answers to the dual problem of homelessness and finding suitable homes for the thousands scrambling to get a foot on the housing ladder.