Dublin City Council is taking legal action to evict squatters from a derelict Edwardian house it acquired by compulsory purchase orders almost a year ago.
The redbrick two-storey house in Fairview was first entered on the Derelict Sites Register in 2016 but removed the following year after improvement work was undertaken, the council said.
However, the condition of the property declined steadily as it remained vacant, with deterioration of the external walls, windows, door and chimney. Following complaints from locals, it was re-entered on the register three years ago.
In August 2023 the council served notice of its intention to acquire the building using compulsory purchase orders. Shortly before this, neighbours say, a number of people gained access to the house.
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Several people who identified themselves as the new occupants of the house objected the council’s CPO with An Bord Pleanála. The board last July granted the council consent to compulsorily acquire the house, but the occupants have not left.
One of the occupants, Robert O’Reilly, said he had been living in the house for about 18 months and had undertaken repairs during that time.
“The windows at the front were missing but I glazed them, did some sistering of the joists, we cleared the plumbing, cleared rubble from the garden.”
Employed as a stagehand, he said he was not in a position to afford Dublin rents.
“We’re just people who need somewhere to live, I was living in my van before this. We don’t have electricity, but that doesn’t really bother me. I have a solar panel for light and a wood stove for heat.”
The council said it is taking legal proceedings to secure possession of the house, which it intends to refurbish and reuse for social housing.
The case is listed for hearing in the High Court in July.
