Rob Cross
@RobCross247 • 23,924 subscribers
Digital specialist, architectural designer, best-selling author, artist, and AI & BIM/GIS expert | https://t.co/1Q1mcZ3ujK Email: [email protected]
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My graphic shows all entire homes listed on Airbnb in An Daingean (Dingle), which had a population of 1,671 in the 2022 Census, in County Kerry, Ireland. It’s no wonder seasonal workers in Dingle, including waiters, bar staff, chefs, and others, can’t find places to stay: short-term lets, including Airbnb landlords and holiday-home owners, are forcing native speakers out of Gaeltacht areas. #HousingCrisis #Airbnb #Kerry #Ireland
Rob Cross152,327 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
It's so-so frustrating to see how dysfunctional Ireland has become when this could be resolved if there was the real political will to make a change for the common good rather than to serve vested interests.😡 In my visualisation, red blocks represent some of the Derelict and Vacant Sites in Cork City. #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland #VacantIreland #Cork #Ireland
Rob Cross390,542 Aufrufe • vor 8 Monaten
Only in Ireland!😡 In the midst of a housing crisis—with 16,766 people, including 5,274 children, relying on emergency accommodation and likely to hit 17,000 by Christmas- Baggot Street Hospital closed in 1987 and has been vacant for roughly 38 years, yes, 38 years.🙈 How much has the HSE spent on security for Baggot Street Hospital over those 38 years?🤔 “"The building (Baggot Street Hospital) is a protected structure located in a conservation area. The LDA's assessment concluded that significant investment would be required to deliver a residential scheme within this building, making it unviable for affordable housing," said the LDA. Of interest here are some LDA schemes on the HSE books that involve protected structures: Dundrum Central, Dublin (former Central Mental Hospital) – multiple protected structures and an ACA (Architectural Conservation Area) context being redeveloped by LDA. Meath Hospital, Dublin – multiple protected structures being redeveloped by LDA. St Kevin's Hospital, Cork – a former psychiatric hospital complex, protected structure, being redeveloped by LDA. #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland #VacantIreland #Dublin #Cork #Ireland In my visualisation, red blocks represent some of the Derelict and Vacant Sites in Dublin City.
Rob Cross370,904 Aufrufe • vor 8 Monaten
My graphic shows all whole homes listed on Airbnb in An Daingean (Dingle), County Kerry, Ireland. It's no wonder seasonal workers in Dingle—waiters, bar staff, chefs, and others—can't find places to stay, as Airbnb landlords and holiday home owners are forcing native speakers out of Gaeltacht areas. #HousingCrisis #Airbnb #Kerry #Ireland
Rob Cross326,997 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
Only in Ireland🙈 103 completed apartments at Old Naas Road, Bluebell, Dublin have stood empty for two and a half years. This is happening in the middle of a housing emergency, with homelessness reaching a record 16,353 people—including 2,391 families, 252 people over 65, and more than 5,145 children—now accessing emergency homeless accommodation. #DerelictIreland #HousingCrisis #Dublin In my visualisation, red blocks represent Derelict and Vacant Sites.
Rob Cross189,002 Aufrufe • vor 9 Monaten
The Destruction of Dublin A 1949–52 aerial photo from the Norman Ashe Aerial Photographic Collection, which I’ve colourised and annotated in red to highlight buildings that were demolished in the years that followed. It shows the churches of Dublin and the Four Courts almost frozen in time, as the city was cleared, particularly at Wood Quay (An Ché Adhmaid), to make way for a new Dublin Corporation (now Dublin City Council) office development on a four-acre site in front of Christchurch Cathedral: a riverside area of Dublin that was once a site of Viking settlement. In September 1978, a protest drew 20,000 people, including former President of Ireland Mary Robinson and poet Thomas Kinsella, to oppose the development. However, the effort was ultimately unsuccessful. #Dublin #Ireland #Heritage #HeritageAtRisk #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland
Rob Cross17,008 Aufrufe • vor 23 Tagen
This is one of the reasons why the housing system is broken in Ireland. Deutsche Bank's €800 billion investment arm fund has acquired 85% (46 homes) in Belcamp Manor, Dublin 17 for €24.5 million. Originally intended for individual buyers, these properties are now being advertised for rent at €3,175 per month (€38,100 per year) by a London-based real estate investment fund on It is no surprise that in the past 13 years, rent in Ireland has doubled, and house prices have increased by 55%, making it the fastest growth in any major EU economy. Currently, vulture funds own 1 in 6 mortgages in the Irish housing market, while Cuckoo funds and the State purchase 42% of new homes. This leaves a record number of first-time buyers competing for the lowest supply of housing stock nationwide in over a decade. There are just over 11,000 homes available for purchase nationally, the fewest since 2012 when 60,000 homes were on the market. The 2022 Census reveals that there are 166,752 vacant homes and 66,135 vacant holiday homes across the country. Out of the vacant homes, almost a third (48,387) have been vacant long-term since 2016 and remain unused. Additionally, the current salary required to buy a new home in Dublin is €127,000, which exceeds even a TD's basic salary of €108,987. Meanwhile, in December 2023, there were 18,648 entire houses/apartments available on the short-term letting platform Airbnb in Ireland. This includes 4,666 listings in Dublin City whilst there is a record-breaking number of 13,514 people, including 4,105 children, who are currently accessing emergency accommodation. #Dublin #Ireland #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland #VacantIreland #homeless #Airbnb
Rob Cross327,619 Aufrufe • vor 2 Jahren
The Destruction of Dublin A 1952 aerial photo from the Norman Ashe Aerial Photographic Collection, which I’ve colourised, and highlighted in red some of the buildings that were demolished in the years that followed. It shows University College Dublin, Earlsfort Terrace, what is now the National Concert Hall, and the Iveagh Gardens, almost frozen in time. Many Georgian townhouses were demolished, along with the original Alexandra Schools and College on Earlsfort Terrace. The school was demolished in 1972 to make way for the Conrad Dublin Hotel and the Earlsfort Centre office complex. On Leeson Street, the Magdalen Asylum Chapel at the foot of Leeson Street was cleared in the 1960s by Irish Sugar to build its headquarters. #Dublin #Ireland #Heritage #HeritageAtRisk #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland
Rob Cross15,224 Aufrufe • vor 24 Tagen
Only in Ireland!😡 In the midst of a housing crisis—17,517 people, including 5,571 children, are relying on emergency accommodation—and with rents and house prices unaffordable to the vast majority, there are still so many derelict and vacant buildings throughout Ireland. Here is one example in Dublin; in my visualisation, the red blocks represent some of the derelict and vacant sites along Upper and Lower Ormond Quay in Dublin City. #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland #VacantIreland #Dublin #Ireland
Rob Cross30,970 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
It's frustrating to see how dysfunctional Ireland has become. Here's one example: The owner of two derelict Victorian houses at 19 and 21 Connaught Street, Phibsborough in Dublin 7, boarded them up in 2012. A compulsory purchase order came into force in April 2019. The council bought the houses for €350,000 each, hoping to have them back in use the following year. But six years later, these properties remain derelict—in a much worse state than before. Meanwhile, the original owner, who lives in a nearby house on Connaught Street, has €700,000 (your money) in his back pocket. The council is left with two crumbling properties on its books.🙈 One solution: Ireland's local authorities lack the resources to restore derelict and vacant properties, so they should place CPO properties on the market with leasehold agreements for the common good. The Scottish Land Commission has proposed Compulsory Sales Orders (CSOs) to give local authorities the power to force the sale of long-term derelict land or buildings via public auction or tender. If the property is truly abandoned and has no known owner, it is then transferred to the state. Ref: Two derelict Victorian houses at 19 and 21 Connaught Street (Irish Times): #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland #VacantIreland #Dublin #Ireland
Rob Cross70,992 Aufrufe • vor 6 Monaten
This is one of the reasons why the housing system is broken in Ireland. Dublin City Council is missing out on millions of euros in untapped revenue by not applying a 7% annual levy on the market value of vacant sites. As of June 2024, Dublin City Council's Vacant Site Register lists only 38 sites with a combined market value of €124,275,000. Most sites on the register date back to 2017/18. If the council applies the 7% annual levy, they should collect €8,699,250 yearly. Notably, 12 of the 38 vacant sites are owned by Dublin City Council itself, with a combined market value of €57,790,000. If the council applies the 7% annual levy to its own properties, it should pay €4,045,300 yearly. It's worth mentioning that by the end of May, another new record 14,159 people were accessing emergency homeless accommodation in Ireland. One way to view the scale of homelessness is to consider that Hill 16 in Croke Park has a capacity of 13,000 people. In Dublin alone, 10,291 people were homeless—another new record—with 3,233 of those being children. Dublin City Council Vacant Sites Register: #DerelictIreland #VacantIreland #HousingCrisis #Dublin #GAA #Ireland
Rob Cross176,119 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
Don't blame nature for doing its thing—blame poor town planning.😠 Enniscorthy has experienced significant Slaney River flooding in 1924, 1947, 1965, 2000, 2015, 2018, 2021, and now in 2026 with Storm Chandra, leading to extensive property damage, commercial disruption, and traffic issues. There's a good reason past generations of town planners avoided building houses and shops on river floodplains, which they clearly marked on their historical OS maps. This is stunning aerial footage taken 11 years ago by SkyCam Ireland showing the devastating flooding caused by Storm Frank on 30th December 2015 at Enniscorthy in Wexford, Ireland. #StormChandra #StormFrank #Wexford #Ireland
Rob Cross54,400 Aufrufe • vor 6 Monaten
Only in Ireland🙈 19 South Terrace in Cork City, owned by UCC Building & Estates, has been on the Derelict Sites Register since January 2001. Its market value is €180,000. After nearly 25 years on the Cork City Derelict Site Register, the accumulated levy and interest now totals approximately €861,840. Cork City Derelict Site Register: Derelict Sites Act, 1990 Annual levy: 7% × €180,000 = €12,600 per year. Unpaid levies accrue interest at 1.25% per month. Principal levies (2001–2024): €302,400 Accrued interest: €559,440 Total due now (excluding 2025 levy): €861,840 #DerelictIreland #HousingCrisis #Cork In my visualisation, red blocks represent some of the Derelict and Vacant Sites in Cork City.
Rob Cross64,728 Aufrufe • vor 9 Monaten
The fridge is on, but there’s no one home.😡 The CSO in Q4 2024 has classified 70,149 dwellings (including holiday homes) as vacant, based on low electricity consumption of around 2 kWh per day (enough to power a medium-sized fridge for a day). It’s crazy that this is tolerated in the middle of a housing crisis, with yet another record of over 17,308 people in emergency accommodation last month, including 5,457 children. Plus, the Simon Community estimate as many as 290,000 people in Ireland are likely to be experiencing hidden homelessness, as friends or family are increasingly relied upon to provide accommodation for others. Hidden homelessness refers to individuals without a secure, permanent home who are not visible on the streets or in official statistics, often "couch-surfing," sharing overcrowded housing, or staying in squats. This is not normal and cannot be accepted. We need urgent action to prevent evictions and expand housing supply, and we can start by utilising these vacant houses. After all, it was called a 'national emergency' by Leo Varadkar back in 2018, when the homeless figure was 10,000. #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland #VacantIreland #Ireland
Rob Cross35,096 Aufrufe • vor 4 Monaten
My visual study shows a lack of playing pitches in Dublin City Council postal codes D1 (outlined in blue) and D8 (yellow). In contrast, the surrounding local authorities are well-resourced. Postal codes D1 and D8, with a combined population of 80,000+ (roughly the size of Waterford), have no full-size pitches, while South Dublin County Council has 166. Note: The tall red blocks in the visual represent playing pitches (e.g., GAA, soccer, rugby pitches, hockey pitches, and basketball/tennis courts). #SportEquality #SportForAll #Dublin #Ireland
Rob Cross20,603 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
The corner at the junction of Marlborough Street and Parnell Street next to the An Bord Pleanála offices in Dublin's Inner City has been derelict for years. It's astonishing how dereliction is tolerated in Ireland, especially in one of the most deprived areas in Ireland, if not Europe. Dereliction should be treated as a social crime against the state and must not be tolerated—particularly with 14,864 people nationwide in emergency accommodation, including 10,686 in Dublin. This represents a 9% increase over 2024. The red blocks in my graphic represent some of the derelict and vacant sites in Dublin City. #DerelictIreland #HousingCrisis #VacantIreland #Dublin
Rob Cross90,626 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
Ireland's housing system is in a state of disrepair, primarily due to ineffective Government policies. My graphic illustrates the large number of vacant and derelict properties in Dublin City. It also shows the 4,666 entire houses or apartments currently listed for short-term letting on the Airbnb platform, with a total of 18,649 across Ireland. According to the Department of Housing, 9,671 adults and a record 4,170 children found themselves in emergency accommodation last month. The Government failed to meet its social and affordable housing targets by 2,680 homes last year and significantly underestimated the number of houses needed to be built annually by 17,000. It's widely accepted that Ireland requires up to 50,000 additional houses each year; however, the government's "Housing for All" plan only aims to build an average of 33,000. The 2022 Census shows that the country has 166,752 vacant homes and 66,135 empty holiday homes. Interestingly, nearly a third of these vacant homes (48,387) have been unoccupied long-term since 2016. Predictably, rent has doubled over the past 13 years and house prices have surged by 55%, marking the fastest growth in any major EU economy. Currently, Vulture funds own 1 in 6 mortgages in the Irish housing market, while Cuckoo funds and the State purchase 42% of new homes. This situation has led to a record number of first-time buyers competing for the smallest supply of housing stock in over a decade. Nationally, just over 11,000 homes are available for purchase, a stark contrast to 2012 when 60,000 homes were on the market. To add to the crisis, the income needed to buy a new home in Dublin is €127,000, which surpasses even a TD's basic salary of €108,987. Consequently, 68% of people in their late 20s still live with their parents, a figure that is nearly 26% higher than the EU average of 42.1%. #Dublin #Ireland #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland #homeless #Airbnb
Rob Cross111,221 Aufrufe • vor 2 Jahren
Ireland's housing system is not fit for purpose as it fails to deter vulture funds from buying properties that could be homes for individual buyers. On May 20, 2021, the Irish Government introduced a 10% stamp duty on bulk purchases of residential houses. This measure aimed to discourage large-scale acquisitions by investors and vulture funds. However, the policy has two notable exemptions: bulk buying of apartments in multi-storey buildings with grouped access, and purchases by local authorities and approved housing bodies. These entities are not subject to the 10% stamp duty on bulk purchases of residential houses. This is one of the reasons why the housing system is broken in Ireland. Deutsche Bank's €800 billion investment arm fund has acquired 85% (46 homes) in Belcamp Manor, Dublin 17 for €24.5 million. Originally intended for individual buyers, these properties were being advertised for rent at €3,175 per month (€38,100 per year) by a London-based real estate investment fund on It is no surprise that in the past 13 years, rent in Ireland has doubled, and house prices have increased by 55%, making it the fastest growth in any major EU economy. Currently, vulture funds own 1 in 6 mortgages in the Irish housing market, while Cuckoo funds and the State purchase 42% of new homes. This leaves a record number of first-time buyers competing for the lowest supply of housing stock nationwide in over a decade. There are just over 11,000 homes available for purchase nationally, the fewest since 2012 when 60,000 homes were on the market. The 2022 Census reveals that there are 166,752 vacant homes and 66,135 vacant holiday homes across the country. Out of the vacant homes, almost a third (48,387) have been vacant long-term since 2016 and remain unused. Additionally, the current salary required to buy a new home in Dublin is €127,000, which exceeds even a TD's basic salary of €108,987. Meanwhile, in December 2023, there were 18,648 entire houses/apartments available on the short-term letting platform Airbnb in Ireland. This includes 4,666 listings in Dublin City whilst the number of people living in emergency accommodation reached another record high of 14,429 in July—including 2,096 families (up 14%) and 4,401 children (a 15% rise since July 2023). In Dublin alone, 10,487 people were homeless—another new record—with 3,289 of those being children. #Dublin #Ireland #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland #VacantIreland #homeless #Airbnb
Rob Cross93,335 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
A river of dereliction and vacancy runs through it. In the midst of a housing crisis, a record 17,548 people are accessing state-funded emergency accommodation across Ireland, including 11,944 adults and 5,604 children. In my visualisation, the red blocks represent some of the derelict and vacant sites along the River Liffey quays in Dublin City. #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland #VacantIreland #Dublin #Ireland
Rob Cross14,204 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
Ireland's housing system is in a state of disrepair, primarily due to ineffective Government policies. My graphic illustrates 20,116 entire homes listed on Airbnb's short-term letting platform in Ireland. Within Ireland's six Gaeltacht areas of Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Meath, Mayo and Waterford, there are 6,201 entire Airbnb properties. These properties, along with thousands of long-vacant holiday homes owned by wealthy investors for short-term rentals, are forcing native Irish speakers out of their communities. The resulting housing squeeze has left seasonal workers—including waiters, bar staff, and chefs—unable to find accommodation during a record-breaking housing crisis, with 15,418 people (including 4,675 children) now in emergency housing. #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland #Airbnb #Ireland
Rob Cross56,901 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr