I was reading in last week’s Independent about the Shannon Oaks Hotel in Portumna, Co Galway, closed since 2012 and now derelict. Poor Portumna! It’s bad enough looking at an eyesore in its midst but being without the enjoyment of a local hotel to boot.The Sentinel is a partly constructed fourteen storey apartment building in …
Created by Simon Matthews on behalf of SLIGO HOUSING ACTION GROUP Empty buildings & land survey 2023-2024 This is a survey of empty property and land in Sligo town. It was carried out by the Sligo Housing Action Group between November 2023 and January 2024, and shows: • 112 x empty houses• 57 x empty …
As I walked down by the Garavogue river yesterday, I wondered at all the lovely restored buildings now rented out as apartments and retail units. They looked so pristine. Not always! I remember in the 70’s and 80’s sitting in the bar of the Silver Swan (now the Glasshouse) looking at the painting behind the …
Good news this week, with the announcement of fifty-three homes to be built on the former Summerhill soccer pitch. Along with the ongoing developments in Caltragh & Ballisodare, it’s heartening to see the housing stock being increased. Of course, when talking about Ballisodare, we can’t ignore the white elephant on the river that has 70 …
(Too) Slow but Sure -New Development at Summerhill College, Sligo Read More »
As we journey on here at Sligo Housing Action Group, pushing for change in Sligo’s’ derelict & vacant housing landscape we encounter the back stories. There are people working in the background trying to make a change. One case is Ronan Gilroy and the Savoy Cinema. The Savoy is not an example of vacant housing …
Do I invite a load of guests to stay in my house if I don’t have enough rooms? No. If I have more people at the table than the amount of food available do I pick and choose who gets fed? No. I divide it out as best I can. It’s called common sense.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Integration (DCEDIY) headed by Minister Roderic O’Gorman oversee housing refugees and asylum seekers. Whatever options Roderic O’Gorman’s department produces to house our unfortunate migrants/asylum seekers can they include locals in the mix? The name of the department includes the word “Integration”. Like I said, “Integration, Integration, …
When we set up Sligo Housing Action Group back in November 2021, our operative word was action. We were railing against the lack of action in the burgeoning housing shortage here in Ireland and in Sligo. There has been action at government level and on the ground, but there is still paralysis at play in …
Yes! The Irish government has expanded and extended the Croi Conaithe grant to cover many more types of properties but the “catch 22” is, 1) banks will not give mortgages for derelict properties and 2) the grants are only payable after the work is done. This leaves out the very people who would be willing …
If you are the owner of land zoned for residential use you are liable for a yearly tax of 3% of it’s value on 1 February 2024. It’s called a Residential Zoned Land Tax and the idea behind it is to discourage holding onto land that houses can be built on. Good news. If you …