Office & Commercial Vacancy

Title: Commercial and office vacancy: prospects for residential use

Overview:

Efficient use of the existing stock of buildings is a stated policy goal of the Irish government. This research examines the barriers to converting vacant commercial buildings to residential purposes. It examines the regulatory, planning, financial and other barriers to conversion, and the interventions and policy reforms that may be implemented to facilitate conversion. It asks the following questions: 

• To what extent is it viable to convert unused commercial and office space into residential units?
• What are the barriers to doing so and what policies can facilitate this?

In terms of barriers, particular attention will be paid to planning, fire and safety and other regulatory considerations. Other factors to be considered include the suitability of converting the building given its location and the existence or not of surrounding amenities and infrastructure, and building and architectural factors such as windows/aspect issues, ventilation, accessibility, etc. The project will examine the economic and financial barriers, particularly the building costs of commercial and residential conversion. The project will elicit a number of actionable policy recommendations to better and more efficient use of building stock.

Status: To begin Q1 2024

Outputs: