Irish government updates manual for the reuse of existing buildings

The 2nd edition of Bringing Back Homes – Manual for the reuse of existing buildings (2024) has been published by the Irish government.

The Bringing Back Homes Manual was first published by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in December 2018. Since its publication, the general policy context has developed, changes have been made to the building regulations and significant additions made to the grants and supports available to bring vacant and derelict properties back into use as homes. 

The objective of the manual is to support and facilitate the reuse of vacant and derelict buildings for residential use. The manual aims to provide property owners, members of the public, local authorities and those involved in the construction industry with guidance on the reuse of these buildings.

In addition, the manual provides guidance on how regulatory requirements relating to the planning system, fire safety, rental regulations and heritage conservation apply to different building types, including over-the-shop type refurbishments/conversions.  

The manual also includes case studies of successful refurbishments of different property types. Information is also presented on the range of schemes and support available.

Bringing Back Homes – Manual for the reuse of existing buildings (2024) can be found here.