Almost 150 people in Clare have had their applications approved for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant since its introduction.
The grant, which came in at the end of 2022, is available to those turning a house or building which has been vacant for two years at the time of application into a permanent home or rental property.
Initially only available to applicants looking to renovate properties built before 1994 as permanent residences, the scheme has since been extended to include properties built before 2007 both for permanent residences as well as those being turned into rental accommodation.
Up to €50,000 in funding is available for works on a vacant property while up to €70,000 can be attained if the building in question is derelict.
Since September 2022, 296 applications have been submitted to Clare County Council for the scheme.
Of these, the vast majority have been for private residences with just 28% of applications looking to turn a vacant building into a rental property.
146 applications for the grant have been successful which represents 49% of total submissions.
9% have been withdrawn and a further 5% have been rejected while grant funding has been paid out to just four applicants.
The local authority has also noted that 104 applications are either in progress, awaiting technical inspection or require further information from the applicant.
