A new grant aimed at turning vacant space above shops into homes could help boost housing supply and bring more life back into town centres, according to Fine Gael TD Paula Butterly.
The Vacant Above the Shop Grant, which is now open for applications, will offer funding of up to €135,000 to support the conversion of unused space above commercial premises into residential units, while keeping the ground floor in business use.
There is also an additional grant of up to €5,000 available to cover professional advice for those considering a project.
Deputy Butterly said the scheme could make a real difference in tackling housing challenges while improving local streets.
“These measures represent a practical and impactful step towards addressing housing supply challenges while breathing new life into our towns and villages.
“By focusing on vacant properties and unused space above shops, we are making better use of existing buildings. This funding will offer a full facelift and not just a bit of tweaking.
“Fine Gael has introduced a number of measures to ensure vacant properties are being brought back into use. We can’t have any idle properties, and this new ‘Above the shop Grant’ will make projects more financially viable for people to renovate.”
A grant of up to €95,000 will be available where one unit is created, up to €115,000 will be available where two units are created and up to €135,000 will be available where three or more residential units are created ‘above the shop’.
The Grant will be available for buildings in cities, towns, and villages with vacant ‘above the shop’ space (vacant for two years), where the ground floor is remaining commercial. It is not required that the commercial ground floor of the premises be vacant.
