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Ready to Build Scheme aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction, and breathe new life into our town centres

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Ready to Build Scheme was announced by Darragh O’Brien TD and Peter Burke TD at the National Ploughing Championships pictured above.

Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund extended to include serviced sites and to deliver additional new build homes in Limerick by 2025

By I Love Limerick correspondent Ellie McCarthy

Ready to Build Scheme
Potential purchasers who wish to build their own homes will be given the opportunity to buy serviced sites at a discounted rate

Darragh O’Brien TD, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and Peter Burke TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government and Planning, have announced the Ready to Build Scheme.


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The scheme will be funded under the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund. It will see Limerick City and County Council make available serviced sites (sites with the necessary infrastructure such as electricity, water, and wastewater) in towns and villages at discounted rates for potential purchasers who wish to build their own homes in Limerick. 

The sites will be sold at a discounted rate of up to €30,000 from the market value. The discount will be determined by the cost of servicing the site. 

 Applicant(s) must meet the eligibility criteria set out in the application:

-Applicant may only purchase one site under this scheme.

-The site must be used to build a home, which will be the applicant’s principal private residence when completed.

-If an applicant is not a first-time buyer or ‘Fresh Starter’, applicants must plan to move from their current home that they are selling or have sold and want to live in a town or village setting.

-Applicant must have their tax affairs in order and have tax clearance from the Revenue

-Applicant must apply for planning permission to build their principal private residence on the site within 3 months of receiving approval to purchase and payment of deposit.

-Building must start within 12 months of receipt of planning permission. 

-Applicants must agree to the clawback conditions set out in the application, where the purchaser sells the property or site, or it ceases to be their principal private residence within a ten-year period.

Many areas in towns and villages of all sizes face the blight of vacant and undeveloped sites, which, if brought back into use, could add real vibrancy to those communities. The scheme fulfils a commitment to the Government’s ‘Housing for All’ plan and supports the ‘Our Rural Future’ policy.

The recently published ‘Town Centre First’ policy, aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction, and breathe new life into our town centres.

Announcing the new initiative, Minister O’Brien said, “We know there is a great appetite out there for people to build their own homes in our many towns and villages. This scheme will provide many people in Limerick with a real opportunity to do so. This initiative is among the suite of measures in ‘Housing for All’ to make housing more affordable for people in Limerick and to strengthen and diversify Limerick’s rural towns and villages so that they are a hub for local housing and employment growth. This new initiative will work hand-in-hand with the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, also funded by the Croí Conaithe (Towns) Fund, which aims to tackle vacancy and dereliction in our towns and villages by giving prospective homeowners a grant of up to €30,000 (€50,000 if derelict) for the refurbishment of a vacant property for occupation as a principal private residence.”

Peter Burke TD, Minister of State for Planning and Local Government, added, “This new ‘Ready to Build’ Scheme will bring added vibrancy to Limerick’s towns and villages where housing is needed. Not only does this policy support greater housing but, in line with the Government’s ‘Town Centre First’ policy, it will make towns and villages more viable and attractive places in which to live, work, visit and run a business.”

All available sites will be advertised on Limerick City and County Council’s website and in relevant local publications. 

The application form, eligibility criteria and associated frequently asked questions will provide additional information to people who would like to avail of the scheme.

For more information on the Ready To Build Scheme, go HERE 

For more information on the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, go HERE 

For more news stories, go HERE 

Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.