New Vacant Above the Shop Grant of up to €135,000 available to regenerate communities

Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD has welcomed the expansion of the Vacant Property Grantwhich is aimed at tackling above shop vacancy.

Under new measures which were signed off by Cabinet today, this extended grant aims to bring underutilised space above existing commercial premises into use as homes. The Vacant Above The Shop Grant, will provide potential funding of up to €135,000 to convert vacant space into residential use, where the commercial element is remaining.

The grant will be available for buildings in cities, towns and villages with vacant ‘above the shop’ spaces that have been vacant for two years, subject to the ground floor remaining in commercialuse. It will not be a requirement that the commercial ground floor of the premises be vacant.

A grant of up to €95,000 will be available where one unit is created, up to €115,000 where two units are created and up to €135,000 will be available where three or more residential units are created ‘above the shop’.

Welcoming the establishment of the grant, Minister Cummins said: “The Vacant Above the Shop Grant will support bringing vacant and derelict properties into residential use. This will allow underutilised space to be brought into productive use, providing additional housing units and supporting town centre living, compact growth and the regeneration and revitalisation of our cities, towns and villages.”

“The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant has been very successful, with over 16,000 applications received and over 12,000 applications approved and 4,500 grants paid as of December 2025. €250m has been provided since its launch in July 2022 and this expansion will help continue the momentum that has helped to counter dereliction and vacancy. This is an area I am very passionate about and it is important that we can continue to make every effort possible to bring properties of this kind back into use.”

An Expert Advice Grant has also been established, with funding of up to €5,000 available towards professional advice on conversion of above the shop space and of former commercial properties to residential units.

“79 vacant properties were brought back into use in Waterford in 2025 with €4.2m paid out to homeowners in Waterford since the launch of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. There is a strong pipeline in Waterford with over 220 grants approved to bring disused properties back to life. As the scheme is expanded and more and more applications are approved, I anticipate that we will see continued improvement across our streetscapes. I would encourage anyone in Waterford who is interested in availing of the scheme to check it out and engage with their local authority. The council for their part have committed to a more streamlined process for evaluating applications at a recent meeting I held with senior management”.