Donegal County Council confirmed that, to date, it has processed 424 applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant Scheme.
Of these, 150 have been approved and one has been ‘fully paid’ following the completion of works. Sixteen applications were rejected on the basis that they do not meet the scheme criteria, mainly relating to the proposed works or that the property has not been vacant for two years or more and built on or before 2007.
“The balance of applications is either awaiting further information from the applicant, or at first technical inspection stage,” a council spokesperson told Donegal Daily.
“There are four applicants who have completed the works and these are currently being processed for payment, with one applicant fully paid at this stage.”
The grant scheme, which came into operation in July 2022, provides grants to property owners to refurbish properties that have been vacant for two years or more for use as their principal private residence or to be made available for rent. The level of grant funding available is €50,000 or €70,000 if the property is derelict. The grants are increased by 20% for off-shore island properties. The council has run a number of information events around the county for prospective applicants.
Once approved, successful applicants have 13 months to complete the works before they can draw down the grant. One reader told Donegal Daily that the council’s Vacant Property team had processed and approved their application within eight weeks of it being submitted.
The council released its figures today in response to a query from us following yesterday’s criticism of the scheme by Sinn Fein’s Pearse Doherty.
Deputy Doherty said no grant had yet to be drawn down in Donegal and also criticised the government for what he described as the ‘complete absence of information’ relating to the scheme.
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