Waterford City and County Council featured on RTÉ’s ‘Prime Time’ programme last night.

Cited as a council that has bucked the trend and eradicated a significant amount of dereliction in its centre, Paul Johnston, Senior Engineer with Waterford City and County puts it down to the council’s decision to focus on dereliction six years ago and the determination of its Vacant Homes Office.

After the council determined that 25% of housing list applicants wanted to live in Waterford city centre, it concluded that there were “quite a number” of vacant properties in the city, he said

Since 2017, the council has purchased 45 properties using CPOs, which have been refurbished and turned into social housing in the city, under the Buy & Renew scheme, and acquired 25 others by agreement.

Waterford council pioneered the Repair & Lease scheme before it was rolled out nationally.

Watch it here (from 27’ 57’’) https://www.rte.ie/player/series/prime-time/SI0000000825?epguid=IH000412969