I was asked to build this Derelict building in Drogheda. So many potential homes lying empty across the country it’s criminal.

29 comments

  3. Maybe there wouldn’t be so many derelict buildings if you didn’t keep building them!

    Seriously, though, that’s some lovely work; impressively detailed!

  7. There was a derelict building on Abbey Street that an artist started squatting on years ago. He painted the whole outside lovely colours and started hanging old bicycles and things outside. The gards of course kicked him out and the building has been empty since.
    Such a regressive attitude we have in this country regarding property ownership, squatting and reusing/rennovation of buildings. I know Berlin had an innovative system for years where pub and club owners could rent spots for €1 a year in some cases and I think it lent itself to a much cooler (and cheaper) city. Even if they had’ve let the artist and one friend stay in the Abbey St building it’d still be 2 more people off the housing list.

  9. I was driving to Longford down back roads when I came across a ghost estate, might have been Ardagh?

    There was grass growing out of the roofs. These were probably new builds that never sold after the crash in 07/08

    Absolute scandal that the government never stepped in here. Could have been beautiful homes for WFH folks.

    In my own small village there are a few derelict houses on the main street.

    There’s a missed opportunity here to revitalise rural Ireland.

  12. Before I realised this was a model (very well done btw op) I thought someone had chucked a spear at someone’s gaff.

    Dave syndrome, horrible affliction.

  15. Local to me is a great example of this process, and that it is taking way to long but with some caveats I guess.

    Four houses that were mentioned by a councillor in 2021 (local paper article), raised by residents probably I’d say multiple times over multiple years prior to that (as houses had been abandoned / unused around 2016 if not 2015).

    Google Map history only goes as far back as 2018 so can’t verify the earliest date they were boarded up that way.

    History of the houses from 2014:

    There’s an article on Business Post about the houses being a high yield rent opportunity with all four houses being available for a guide price of €795,000 – annual rent of €67,000 in 2014:

    https://www.businesspost.ie/article/high-yielding-rentals-in-tallaght-come-to-the-market

    The photos shown make it clear they aren’t boarded up – unless they’re older photos!

    The houses / site had entered under Section 11 Notice Works Required initially in 2017. They had been under ownership/receiver of Grant Thornton (a name is mentioned, but I won’t include it) as part of that.

    There’s later a public auction in 2017 for the houses, can only find a weird link to it right now with no photos:

    http://ir.speakingsame.com/p.php?q=Tallaght%2C+Dublin+24&id=499414

    This would be caveat 1, whoever owned the houses must have tried to sell them in the intervening years between 2014 and 2017 – I’d say they were boarded up by 2017 but no idea exactly when. This was likely prompted by the council’s notice of **intention** to register as derelict in 2016.

    They were marked as needing works completed by the council in November of the same year (hence my conclusion that they were abandoned / boarded up before or by this time).

    There doesn’t seem to be anything post 2017 in terms of attempts to sell.

    So, *finally* (4* years after originally being considered as derelict / needing work by the council) around March / April of 2021 the council put up the signs as part of the Derelict Sites Act 1990. I assume these were the signs that notified the owner(s) that the houses were now finally considered derelict with X amount of months (no clue – can’t remember what the sign specifically stated to be honest!) to come back to the council or compulsory purchase order would go ahead? Either that or that the house was on the register.

    Here’s the SDCC derelict register with those details:
    https://www.sdcc.ie/en/services/planning/derelict-sites/

    July 2022 the notice for compulsory purchase order was initiated. Roughly one year after intention to register.

    Here’s the last / latest article that mentions it:

    https://www.echo.ie/four-derelict-houses-to-be-taken-in-hand-legally-by-south-dublin-county-council/

    >The public notice for the acquisition of the houses was published in The Echo on July 28, and any owner, lessee or occupier of the properties can on or before 4pm on August 29, 2022, submit an objection to the proposed compulsory acquisition of the derelict site.

    So even from the councilor(s) commenting on them in April 2021 it took one year for the council to submit the compulsory purchase order. I think without this pressure it would have taken even longer.

    It is all (the site / houses) now up on An Bord Pleanala with the resolve date of 20/07/23 for the compulsory purchase order decision.

    https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/314737

    I understand this means Grant Thorton appealed the compulsory purchase order (caveat 2 as to why process took so long).

    There’s no details available of what happens after this.

    So it will have taken a total of 7 years, by my guess (of when there was no one in the houses and they were boarded up), with no works completed on the houses before the process completes.

  19. They get bought to go derelict to get condemned to get torn down to build more profitable housing. Can’t tear down a usable building to build another so you have to let it go derelict. For companies it’s a long term investment, they aren’t the ones in dire need of housing and are unlikely to lose money since it’s a proven strategy.

    We need to bring in laws that prevent people from allowing properties from going derelict.

  20. You’re savage at these things man. Always love to see them when you post them up. How’d you get into this stuff? How long do they take you to put together? Do you take commissions to do them for people, if so, how much to have one done?

  21. There is a notice on the door from the council, but they don’t actually seem to be doing anything about it. There’s several buildings in the town that are derelict to a point that they’re dangerous.

  22. That’s amazing work Op. My first thought was “You were asked to build it? But…it’s built.”, completely not seeing the paintbrush.

  29. A problem in northern Ireland also. So wasteful I always thought. Always thought about large spaces in cities which are closed for whatever reason and thinking that the space could be used for something like parking even…

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