Up to €250,000 per Year Spent on Security for 76 Empty OPW Buildings
Speaking at the Finance Committee today, Aontú Leader & Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín was informed that the OPW has within its property portfolio 76 empty vacant buildings.
An Teachta Tóibín:
“The Minister for the OPW admitted to me in response to a questioned I asked that the OPW own and manage 76 empty buildings throughout the state. In the middle of a housing crisis and at a time when the communities are battling for community facilities its is a disgrace that these buildings have been idle for years. The truth is that this is only the tip of the iceberg, when all of the departments are included the state owns hundreds of empty buildings and thousands of acres of land like Thorton Hall that not being used for what they were bought for."
"On top of the Opportunity Cost to communities, there is an enormous financial cost too. Its estimated that up to €250,000 a year is spent on security alone on these empty buildings each year. These are buildings that could be used as homeless shelters, community centres or converted into accommodation or social housing yet due to government inaction they are likely to remain empty for years."
