According to Census 2022, 4,797 houses in Kildare are currently vacant
Almost 5,000 houses in the county are empty, according to figures from the 2022 Census.
These figures come at a time of a chronic housing crisis, with homelessness across the country at an all time high.
There are pieces of land around the Naas and Sallins area that are lying idle for years, despite having been rezoned and granted planning permission, according to Social Democrats Cllr. Bill Clear.
He believes people who get planning or zoning should have to use it within five years, and if it's not used "take it away give it someone else."
"We are restricted on the amount of houses we can build," he said.
Cllr. Clear said the best way to bring houses on to the market is by bringing houses that are already there back into use.
Speaking to Kfm, Cllr Clear called for people in Kildare with vacant homes, to either sell them or lease them to a family.
Listen back to Cllr. Bill Clear's full interview with Eoin Beatty here:

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