Anyone know what to do with 33,000 empty homes?

mike65

The 2800 ghost estates in which there are 33,000 houses/flats is enough to house a population the size of Galway, Waterford and Kilkenny cities combined I'd say, without too much sqeezing by each other in the hall. So what to do them all.

Army maneuvers? Target practice for NATO bombers? Home the homeless (crazy idea I know)? Giant Wendy House Theme parks? Sell them off to Irish-Americans as holiday homes?

ScumLord

Ghost estate party!

Snakeblood

mike65 wrote: »

The 2800 ghost estates in which there are 33,000 houses/flats is enough to house a population the size of Galway and Waterford combined I'd say, without too much sqeezing by each other in the hall. So what to do them all.

Army maneuvers? Target practice for NATO bombers? Home the homeless (crazy idea I know)? Giant Wendy House Theme parks? Sell them off to Irish-Americans as holiday homes?

Dunno. They're out in the middle of nowhere. I'd do army maneuvers, paintball challenges, and selling them to Americans without letting them see pictures.

Sykk

Tear them down tbh, will create more jobs and build something of purpose in their stead.

On another note! Mike go outside and get some fresh air.

gonedrinking

Ireland doesn't have any homeless, how could we possibly have homeless when we give people 200 euros a week for doing nothing.

I would buy an apartment if they lowered the price to under 170k.

Jmcc001

Swap them for coke and hookers;)

bonerm

Nuclear test sites.

SV

I'll take a few?

seamus

Turn them into schools. Ideal tbqfh; fully serviced and plumbed, plenty of parking and green spaces. Knock a few walls and you can turn a 3 storey apartment block into a gym hall.

33,000 is better than I was expecting. Was it not more like ten times that amount 3 years ago?

fonecrusher1

Whats the cost of them?

33,000 x average cost of building materials & labour, maybe 75,000 euro each?

247,500,000 euro of real estate just sitting rotting away. What a retarded place this is sometimes.

KungPao

We should open the flood gates, and let in thousands of Africans, that would fill those gaffs up.

Snakeblood

gonedrinking wrote: »

Ireland doesn't have any homeless, how could we possibly have homeless when we give people 200 euros a week for doing nothing.

I would buy an apartment if they lowered the price to under 170k.

I'll sell you one for 140. There. PM your details.

Although I'll sell it for 170 if you insist.

Poly

KungPao wrote: »

We should open the flood gates, and let in thousands of Africans, that would fill those gaffs up.

They tried that.

Cookie_Monster

gonedrinking wrote: »

I would buy an apartment if they lowered the price to under 170k.

LOL why?

maybe if they went under 75k

Snakeblood

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

LOL why?

maybe if they went under 75k

Shutupivegotadealgoing.

Millicent

gonedrinking wrote: »

Ireland doesn't have any homeless, how could we possibly have homeless when we give people 200 euros a week for doing nothing.

Are you sh1tting me here? What the hell do you think the Simon Community does with its days? Twiddles its thumbs waiting for someone to become homeless?

stovelid

gonedrinking wrote: »

Ireland doesn't have any homeless, how could we possibly have homeless when we give people 200 euros a week for doing nothing.

Adults are having a chat. Time for bed or go and play in the garden.

I assume the OP means closer to 300,000?

If not, that's actually good news...

Surely the stock can used - as said already - for schools and whatnot. As well as removing the waiting lists for local authority housing.

SEPT 23 1989

Thought it was 100,000 not 33,000

Snakeblood

stovelid wrote: »

I assume you mean closer to 300,000?

If not, that's actually good news...

Surely the stock can used - as said already - for schools and whatnot. As well as removing the waiting lists for local authority housing.

This is not a very accurate survey.

It ignores pre 2007 estates entirely, and it ignores 90% occupancy estates.

Mackman

Give one to me! Ill take one off the country's hands.

Always willing to do my bit

stephendevlin

If the government own them. Fix them up and rent them out cheap. That way theyr servicing a market that already exists and is also a source of income. Not all of them though I would say some cost a lot more than others to fix up

Kimono-Girl

have a massive day long paintball fight! we could call it 'free decorating'


think of all the rooms you could hide out in! :eek:

Ross_Mahon

Kimono-Girl wrote: »

have a massive day long paintball Airsoft fight! we could call it 'free decorating'


think of all the rooms you could hide out in! :eek:

:rolleyes:

Earthhorse

It's 23,000 according to the Irish Times, with 20,000 being built.

Re: converting apartment blocks into schools, you'll more than likely find the building regulations for both are quite different.

Snakeblood

Snakeblood wrote: »

This is not a very accurate survey.

It ignores pre 2007 estates entirely, and it ignores 90% occupancy estates.

I've not read the report but I'm guessing it doesn't count the many empty single houses dotted around the country either.

barney4001

They could use a lot of those homes as a respite for people who have had thier homes repossed by the mortage brokers give them 6 months free rent and a chance to get back on their feet again

Cookie_Monster

barney4001 wrote: »

They could use a lot of those homes as a respite for people who have had thier homes repossed by the mortage brokers give them 6 months free rent and a chance to get back on their feet again

what, why? can't we continue to flog them over hot coals?

Sea Sharp

Anyone claiming rent allowance should be thrown into a ghost estate. Might save us a few euros.

SeaFields

There are some lovely sited estates in west cork/ kerry. They would make an ideal tourist self-catering type set up. Suppose that would require a bit of capital investment for furnishing and stuff.

Millicent

Millicent wrote: »

Are you sh1tting me here? What the hell do you think the Simon Community does with its days? Twiddles its thumbs waiting for someone to become homeless?

I don't think you got the tone of the post :pac:


As for what to do with the houses, schools and homing the homeless of course. Quality of some "schools" in prefabs and outside toilets is unbelievable, and here we are with all these spare houses.

Kimono-Girl

Ross_Mahon wrote: »

:rolleyes:

nooooo i HATE airsoft! paint-balls all the way!

think of the hiding places you would have with access to every empty house! :cool:

snubbleste

There are far far more than 33,000.
That report only covers estates built after April 2007 along with other conditions.

Multiply that figure by ten..
302,625 houses are not inhabited, including properties for rent or for sale, homes not on the market for various reasons as well as abandoned houses. The figure does not include the estimated 49,000 holiday homes around the State. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0119/breaking59.html

Millicent

Sea Sharp wrote: »

Anyone claiming rent allowance should be thrown into a ghost estate. Might save us a few euros.

Not necessarily as it means their landlords would be out that income. Anyone on the housing list should be given one of the houses, presuming there are facilities nearby (there's not in a lot of ghost estates). Would cut the housing bill without taking money off landlords.

Dravokivich

Mega Monopoly... :pac:

prinz

Some should be raffled in a public lottery system with tickets say €100 a pop. Raise some cash.

smellslikeshoes

There are people to fill these houses but they just haven't dropped to a price where they are actually worth buying. Let's not forget this thread. Once they reach a level where you can buy a 2 bed semi D with some change left from 50k, they will have buyers. Until then they are just going to sit empty.

Snakeblood

Millicent wrote: »

Not necessarily as it means their landlords would be out that income. Anyone on the housing list should be given one of the houses, presuming there are facilities nearby (there's not in a lot of ghost estates). Would cut the housing bill without taking money off landlords.

But that's my money landlords are getting.

I mean, I see the point about taking money from landlords, but we're effectively subsidising landlords WITH MY TAX DOLLARS, when we have empty houses and people who need accomodation.

Millicent

bluewolf wrote: »

I don't think you got the tone of the post :pac:


As for what to do with the houses, schools and homing the homeless of course. Quality of some "schools" in prefabs and outside toilets is unbelievable, and here we are with all these spare houses.

I dunno. Maybe I didn't but in the same post, the poster said that people get €200 for doing nothing, so I didn't think it was the most considered post. Have I gotten jaded to the shenanigans of AH? :eek: :pac:

justo

Article here today from IT:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/1021/breaking34.html

Can you believe who the dim wits have asked to solve the problem?

It [the task force] will be made up of representatives of the National Assets Management Agency, central and local government, the banking and construction sectors, and members of the professional architectural, planning and engineering institutes.

... just about everyone who should not be allowed near a meeting to decide what to do with the problem. What the hell would a 'representative from the banking sector' know about this?

TheZohanS

Don't knock them down. Let the market decide a fair price for them and sell them. Simple.

snubbleste

Snakeblood wrote: »

But that's my money landlords are getting.
I mean, I see the point about taking money from landlords, but we're effectively subsidising landlords WITH MY TAX DOLLARS, when we have empty houses and people who need accomodation.

Rent supplement ain't called landlords dole for nothing you know

Big Nasty

Go to Bulgaria and sell them for €50k each. Will appreciate 500% in next ten years!

Millicent

Snakeblood wrote: »

But that's my money landlords are getting.

I mean, I see the point about taking money from landlords, but we're effectively subsidising landlords WITH MY TAX DOLLARS, when we have empty houses and people who need accomodation.

Ah, I understand your point, but taking a source of income out of the hands of a lot of landlords (who are probably using that income to pay the mortgage on the property) won't help matters. I don't think it's a bad idea -- just think it might have some negative consequences.

Sea Sharp

Millicent wrote: »

Not necessarily as it means their landlords would be out that income. Anyone on the housing list should be given one of the houses, presuming there are facilities nearby (there's not in a lot of ghost estates). Would cut the housing bill without taking money off landlords.

That's a fair point, I didn't think of that.
But you could argue that it's not the government's responsibility to subsidise landlords. That's a whole other thread though.

gonedrinking

Millicent wrote: »

Are you sh1tting me here? What the hell do you think the Simon Community does with its days? Twiddles its thumbs waiting for someone to become homeless?

The Simon community basically facilitates junkies to buy more drugs than they would of. By providing them with free food and shelter they are allowing them to blow the 200 euros a week on smack and crack. That's why Ireland has the worst drugs problem in Europe.

CreepingDeath

mike65 wrote: »

The 2800 ghost estates in which there are 33,000 houses/flats is enough to house a population the size of Galway, Waterford and Kilkenny cities combined I'd say, without too much sqeezing by each other in the hall. So what to do them all.

So we could get rid of Galway, Waterford and Kilkenny ?

Millicent

Sea Sharp wrote: »

That's a fair point, I didn't think of that.
But you could argue that it's not the government's responsibility to subsidise landlords. That's a whole other thread though.

True true. I just think it would lead to more mortgage defaults than we have now. Still, there are giant council housing lists that could be cleared so the idea has merit. Just wouldn't trust anyone in power here not to royally f.uck it up!

Millicent

gonedrinking wrote: »

The Simon community basically facilitates junkies to buy more drugs than they would of. By providing them with free food and shelter they are allowing them to blow the 200 euros a week on smack and crack. That's why Ireland has the worst drugs problem in Europe.

See Bluewolf, I was right! :pac:

sensibleken

Set them on fire!!! failing that we could just set some of them of fire. then we could celebrate our new found recovery with a big fire!

Maserati23

Why dont they give houses out to people on disability, like myself. I rather pay my own rent out of my disability money, rather than receive a house rent allowance check each week!

BTW I am on the housing list 4 years a family of four, maybe because I am Irish I am from the wrong country!

Go ahead Ireland pay my 1100 rent every month, I will move anywhere to get a house delapidated or not. I asked the welfare officer and he said just go with the flow.

Like , that was yesterday 13.00 hrs . he made that comment,

P.S. to the PC brigade sorry for getting sick , currently on morphine patches, maybe they should just throw us out, it looks like they cannot afford much more rent allowance!!!!!!!!!

Dravokivich

justo wrote: »

Article here today from IT:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/1021/breaking34.html

Can you believe who the dim wits have asked to solve the problem?

It [the task force] will be made up of representatives of the National Assets Management Agency, central and local government, the banking and construction sectors, and members of the professional architectural, planning and engineering institutes.

... just about everyone who should not be allowed near a meeting to decide what to do with the problem. What the hell would a 'representative from the banking sector' know about this?

Erm.. the costs involved?