The Bringing Back Homes manual is aimed at property owners, members of the public, local authorities and stakeholders in the construction industry who are interested in developing vacant buildings.

It provides clear and detailed guidance on current policy and regulatory requirements that apply to this form of development.

It outlines the process and issues to be considered when developing existing buildings for residential purposes and applies these procedures to four common building types, which typically reflect the buildings (or parts of buildings) that are lying vacant in towns and cities all over Ireland today. It provides further guidance on the more complex redevelopments where multiple apartments are being created. A number of examples of completed projects are also showcased in the manual.

The Bringing Back Homes manual complements the new planning exemption introduced earlier this year, which allows the change of use of vacant commercial buildings to domestic use without having to go through the planning process.

The manual will also support the work of the vacant homes offices in local authorities, which create a central point of contact for those interested in developing existing buildings.

A copy of the manual and report may be downloaded at:

https://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/home-ownership/vacant-homes/vacant-homes