Work has started on the restoration of a derelict Dublin City Council-owned Edwardian house in Fairview that was occupied by squatters for 2½ years. The property at 18 Cadogan Road is “structurally unsound” and will require “major works” costing €200,000 before it can be brought into use for social housing, the council said.It is one of three derelict houses the council has acquired and plans to refurbish and offer to tenants this year, at a total cost of more than €550,000. Another 32 derelict properties acquired by the local authority for social housing since 2017 may no longer be viable for refurbishment because of they are in extreme states of dilapidation, the council said.The redbrick two-storey house in Fairview was first entered on the Derelict Sites Register in 2016. It was 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 neighbours, it was re-entered on the register four years ago.In August 2023, after unsuccessful attempts to establish the ownership of the house, the council served notice of its intention to acquire the building by compulsory purchase order. The same month, neighbours said, a number of people gained entry to the house.In July 2024 An Bord Pleanála granted the council consent to compulsorily acquire the house, but the occupants did not leave and the council initiated legal proceedings for their removal. Following lengthy court proceedings, the council secured an order for vacant possession and finally gained control of the property at the end of April. The house has since been secured, with metal panels sealing the doors and windows. Clearance work has been ongoing in recent weeks with refurbishment and reconstruction expected to start this week. The council has yet to finalise the cost of the reconstruction work, but on entry it emerged there was considerable damage to the floors, walls, ceilings and staircase and “the estimated costs are in excess of €200,000”, it said.[ Local authorities to set social housing targets for people with disabilitiesOpens in new window ]Refurbishment will take “at least six to eight months before completion, and this may vary depending on the scale of supporting works required”, the council said.The other two derelict houses that the council plans restore for social housing this year are on Rutland Street in Dublin 1 and Darley Terrace in Dublin 8. Work required on Rutland Street house has been estimated at €150,000 and is expected to take four months to complete, the council said. The Darley Terrace house is also “structurally unsound”, with restoration expected to cost in excess of €200,000. However, work is already under way on this house and is scheduled for completion within the next two months.Since 2017 the council has been acquiring houses under a scheme introduced to provide social housing through the purchase and refurbishment of long-term vacant and derelict properties. The Buy and Renew Scheme targeted properties needing substantial works, often using compulsory purchase orders where owners were unwilling to sell to the council or to put their properties on the private market.The council acquired 112 vacant and derelict properties and has refurbished 77 houses, returning them to use as social homes, it said last month. The houses at Cadogan Road, Rutland Street and Darley Terrace will bring this total to 80.However, 32 remain vacant, with some having deteriorated to the point of collapse and likely to require demolition. These include houses at Connaught Street in Phibsborough and Ferguson Road in Drumcondra.