Obsolete offices a ‘real, real issue’ in Dublin as council considers hybrid working’s effects
Dublin City Council has commissioned a report to examine the effect of hybrid working on the need for offices, as low occupancy has become a “key issue” in the city centre.
DCC assistant chief executive Anthony Flynn told councillors on Thursday evening that office obsolescence across Dublin is a “real, real issue that is happening in the city.”
Speaking at a special meeting on vacancy and dereliction, Mr Flynn said the city could face potentially negative economic effects if the trend of “very low occupancy levels” continues, particularly to commercial rates.
However, he said the issue could also present opportunities to repurpose buildings and lands for mixed-use and residential needs.
The special meeting on vacancy and dereliction was requested by independent councillor Kevin Breen who said the thousands of vacant properties across the city are leaving Dublin’s housing potential “untapped”.
Last month, The Irish Times reported that more than 14,500 homes and commercial properties are vacant across Dublin, with 4,000 lying empty in the city centre.
“I am 28 years old, and I can’t remember a Dublin without a housing crisis. I represent a generation that have been completely forgotten, half of my friends live in Australia and the other half in London,” Mr Breen said.
He called on councillors to represent “a united front in demanding more from our Government for our capital city”.
Noting that 130 properties are currently on the Derelict Sites Register, Green Party councillor Feljin Jose: “I think we can all agree that needs to go up, I could find you 130 properties, we need to be a lot more stringent in how we apply our powers when it comes to the Derelict Sites Act.”
He separately called for an “empowering” of local authorities to carry out compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) more efficiently and quickly, and “not over 10 or 12 years”.
Responding to concerns raised by councillors regarding the CPO process, Mr Flynn said the council made a submission of potential improvements regarding the Derelict Sites Act when a review of the legislation was initiated by the Department of Housing and Local Government in November 2021.
However, the council is still awaiting a response, he said.
Social Democrats councillor Catherine Stocker, meanwhile, described the vacant homes tax as “as useful as a chocolate teapot” as it is a fraction of the rise in value of houses each year.
This leads owners to speculate, “sit on these properties, wait for value to rise and do absolutely nothing with them,” she said.
“It is an absolute disgrace that our Government are not using the means at their disposal to tackle this,” she said.
“The only party in government over the last number of years who had any intention of doing anything about this was the Green Party and now they are gone,” she said.
