SOME conditions attached to the vacant property refurbishment grant are too restrictive, according to Cllr Joe Carroll (FF).

With grants of up to €70,000 available under the grant scheme, which is called Croí Cónaithe, Cllr Carroll said there is on the surface an incentive for young couples starting out on the property ladder to acquire and refurbish a vacant property, but they soon find the scheme difficult or unworkable.

He said the Croí Cónaithe grant, which is not only available to people turning a vacant house or building into a permanent home but also developing it as a rental property, is ‘a wonderful idea.’

All that is required of applicants is proof that the property has been vacant for at least two years and that it was built up to and including 2007.

But he said people are running into problems with the planning restrictions. ‘Even if someone inherits an old house they are told they have to do all sorts of things, like leaving old plaster in place,’ he said.

‘I have heard of young people pulling out because of what the conservation officer is telling them to do.’

According to Cllr Carroll, the local authority, which administers the scheme, and prioritises applications in areas where the level of vacancy or dereliction is high, should make it more user friendly.

Meanwhile, Cllr Danny Collins (Ind Ire) highlighted the fact that there are eight properties and a former business in Ballylickey, known as the Reendesert Hotel, which have remained idle for decades.

‘No one has ever lived in these houses after a couple of them got flooded,’ said the Independent Ireland councillor who suggested that every effort should be made to bring them back into use.

‘In the case of the Reendesert Hotel,’ he said, ‘there are trees growing in through the window and it’s an eyesore on the N71.’

During a discussion of the housing report at the Western Division meeting, the councillors were informed that of the 2,069 local authority properties in the region, just 16 are vacant. This, at 0.77%, is extremely low said the housing director Keith Jones.

The case for ​ more affordable housing, as well as the provision of serviced sites, which are highly sought in the towns and villages of West Cork was also made by the Fine Gael Cllr Caroline Cronin.