THE Hardware Association Ireland will host a roadshow in Ballina this Thursday aimed at highlighting the potential of bringing empty homes back to life.
Rejuvenating empty homes is an important strand in the strategy to solve the housing crisis. The roadshow will inform and engage business groups and members of the public on how to go about finding, renovating and financing an empty home, and the government grants that are on offer.
Invited guests attending this half day conference include Mayo County Council officials and councillors, members of the North-West Regional Assembly, members of the hardware industry, estate agents and people working in the construction industry such as construction suppliers, tradespeople, and architects, etc.
Hardware Association Ireland is continuing to campaign on a series of recommendations to government and the Department of Housing. Since its pre-Budget submission of 2022 the business group has made a series of strong recommendations and seen many of its policies form the backbone of the Action Plan for Vacant Homes, announced recently by Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien.
Commenting on the roadshow, Hardware Association Ireland chief executive Martin Markey said: “Our roadshow events are a wonderful opportunity for practical dialogue about the steps we need to take to get more empty homes back into use. Thanks to our efforts campaigning on this issue, there are now real and effective grants and supports available for people who are renovating empty homes.”
Mr. Markey continued: “Hardware Association Ireland has been leading the charge on empty homes for over a year and in 2022 we developed our empty homes strategy. The purpose of our roadshow series is to talk to people on the frontline of this issue, many of those who are directly involved in every aspect of the renovation process. There is a huge opportunity to bring life back into cities, towns, villages, and local communities across Ireland.”
The Hardware Association Ireland will be launching its empty homes unlocking the opportunity pre-budget submission in the weeks ahead.
Hardware Association Ireland is the representative body for Irish hardware and DIY retailers, builders’ merchants, distributers, and manufacturers. It represents over 400 members nationwide and 26,000 staff in the sector. The association uniquely represents all levels of the supply chain and include within membership ranks national and international companies, multi-branch chains and smaller independent hardware businesses.