Dozens of Garda stations, former Garda officers’ residences, dormant Met Eireann weather buildings and Coastguard stations are all lying vacant in the middle of a housing crisis.

The Irish Mirror can reveal that the OPW (Office of Public Works) has 82 of these buildings vacant or idle at the moment.

One of the buildings is potentially worth millions of euro on its own as its three stories occupies prime space at 44 and 45 O’Connell Street in Dublin.

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In a comment, the OPW said “disposal is under consideration” for this hot property.

Labour leader, Ivana Bacik, described the situation as “truly scandalous” while the housing crisis rages on.

The OPW’s empty buildings could accommodate hundreds of homeless people or homeseekers, with renovations, if they are required, depending on their state of repair.

They could also raise millions of euro if they were sold that could go towards housing and homelessness services.

This is the third State body that the Mirror has covered where they have dozens or hundreds of empty houses and buildings lying shockingly idle.

However, even though the figures are now in the public domain for the OPW, Irish Rail and the HSE, a property industry source said action is unlikely from any of the State firms.

He said: “What we see every day in the property sector at large is that public bodies have a terrible attitude, that ‘if we have it we hold it,’ regardless of the wider housing need.

“That’s very disappointing, but unfortunately it’s been like that for a long time and is unlikely to change anytime soon.”

Some of the properties lying empty and wasting away include shuttered Garda stations in Dalkey, Dublin, Kilfinane in Limerick and Hollywood in Wicklow.

There are also empty Coastguard buildings in Crosshaven, Cork and on one of the Aran Islands, Inisheer, on the OPW books.

And Met Eireann has dormant buildings at Birr in Offaly and Mullingar in Westmeath.

The figures were obtained through a Parliamentary Question by Labour leader, Ivana Bacik.

Speaking to the Mirror on Tuesday, Ms Bacik said: “Ireland has a serious vacancy and dereliction problem.

“It’s truly scandalous that Government is not putting pressure on the likes of OPW to review the empty properties in its ownership and return those buildings they don’t need to the market.

“For example, there are 31 former Garda Stations that are lying idle in communities nationwide.

“With very little investment, these empty properties could be renovated into homes for the people in homelessness, the young people living at home, workers who are couch surfing week to week, and who all desperately need a place to call their own."

The Labour leader added: “The longer these properties are left lying idle, the more derelict they become.

“Something that is abundantly clear in communities nationwide where many streets and historic buildings are utterly blighted by dilapidation.

“Government must carry out a comprehensive building survey of the properties in its ownership. Last month we saw the outrageous number of properties the HSE is sitting on.

“Earlier this week PQ responses I received showed the scale of potential homes Irish Rail are sitting on, and now we see the OPW, is the Government serious about doing anything on this at all?

“In Labour’s Alternative Budget, we called for a significant increase in the Vacant Homes Tax, with a €2,000 minimum charge, to incentivise landowners to ensure that empty homes would be brought back into use for the people and families in such desperate need."

She added: “Instead, the Government only introduced a token rise in the rate of Vacant Homes Tax.

“This will be utterly ineffective in driving the change that’s needed to get homes back into supply.”

The OPW was asked for comment on this story."

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