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Vacant to Vibrant Building Alliance

Key actions to address vacancies and derelictions in our towns and cities and deliver the homes we need.

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Project description

The housing and climate crises are the most urgent challenges that Ireland faces. Despite the shortfall of 250,000 homes and urban dereliction, many properties in our towns and cities lie vacant, derelict, or underused. Revitalising these properties through high-quality renovations presents the unique opportunity to address the housing shortage, rejuvenate urban and rural centres, improve air quality, repair the social fabric, and restore the cultural and aesthetic appeal of these areas. It is also the most cost-effective way to deliver the homes we need fast, while ensuring social cohesion and reducing carbon emissions.

The Vacant to Vibrant Building Alliance (VVBA) is a cross-sector coalition* dedicated to unlocking the potential of vacant, derelict, and under-utilised buildings in Irish towns and cities. It is a collaboration of business, civic, and built environment leaders and experts set-up in 2024 to create evidence-based solutions that make renovating these units affordable, viable, and accessible, and in doing so, ensure the delivery of residential properties at speed and in the right locations. A comprehensive set of recommendations was published in October 2025. Members of the Vacant to Vibrant Building Alliance are now working on its implementation.

The members of the Vacant to Vibrant Building Alliance (VVBA) are listed below:

  • Philip Lee | Chair
  • Fiona Craven | Chartered Engineer |Programme Manager Adaptive Reuse Unit | Dublin City Council
  • Finbarr Filan | Chair | ISME
  • Dr. Alison Gilliland | European Climate Pact Ambassador | Former Chair Dublin City Council Housing Strategic Policy Committee (SPC)
  • Tom Gilligan | Director of Services | Mayo County Council
  • Ali Harvey | Associate Director – Planning | Jacobs
  • Marion Jammet | Director of Policy & Advocacy | Irish Green Building Council
  • Martin Markey | CEO | The Hardware Association Ireland
  • Edward Mc Auley | Director of Practice & Policy at Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland | SCSI
  • Martin McElligott | Town Centre Commercial Manager | Dundalk Business Improvement District (BID) – PLEASE REMOVE
  • Genevieve McGuirk | CEO | Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers | IPAV
  • Pranash Ramanundh | Practice Director | Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland | RIAI
  • Triona Stack | Researcher | University College Dublin
  • Nick Taaffe | Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland | SCSI

Goal

Accelerating the delivery of much-needed homes in the right locations through the regeneration and revitalisation of our villages, towns, and city centres.

Timeline

Recommendations were developed by the Vacant to Vibrant Building Alliance through extensive research, consultation, and a consensus-building process between November 2024 and August 2025. The team is now working on the implementation of these recommendation (add link to recommendations), including through the Vacant to Viable initiative.

Funders

Who supported the project?

IGBC Team

Who Works On This?

  • Marion Jammet

    • Deputy Chief Executive Officer | Director of Advocacy and Policy | Biodiversity Lead
    Marion leads IGBC’s policy and advocacy work, developing position papers, engaging on consultations and draft legislation, and representing IGBC on the WorldGBC Europe Policy Task Force and Renovate Europe Committee. With a background in policy, stakeholder engagement and project management, Marion has worked on energy renovation projects across Europe. She previously held roles at Dublin Chamber, Eurochambres and the European Parliament. Marion holds an MA in European Affairs from Sciences-Po and an MSc in Environmental Sustainability from UCD.
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How to Get Involved

If you have any questions on this project and want to get involved, please contact Irene.

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