Main pic: The former ‘Arcade’ building (Clobber) on Ballybofey’s Main Street which is to be restored for apartment use.

A community development group in the Twin Towns has vowed to tackle dereliction and high vacancy rates.

BASICC issued a statement following the publication of a report today which reaffirmed Ballybofey as the town with the highest commercial vacancy rate in Ireland.

More than a third (33.7%) of commercial buildings in the town were lying empty when sampled in June of this year, according to the latest GeoDirectory Commercial Buildings Report.

However, locals argue some units in the town are ‘deliberately’ left vacant and owners choose not to advertise them for rent or sale. 

Ballybofey and Stranorlar Integrated Community Company (BASICC) this evening released a statement on their commitment for regeneration and development in the Twin Towns.

BASICC is involved in many projects in Ballybofey and Stranorlar. These range from large to small scale projects that aim to enhance the towns.

“One of these projects is the Regeneration & Development project, addressing the vacant and derelict properties (commercial and residential) of the towns,” the statement read.

The Regeneration team from Donegal County Council, they said, has  already commenced work to address vacancy and dereliction in Ballybofey and Stranorlar. 

“This work involves an external survey of vacant and/or derelict buildings within the town centres with a view to contacting owners to make them aware of various supports to bring properties back into use, such as the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant,” the statement continued. 

“The council has powers to add a property to a Derelict Sites Register, where an annual levy is applied for as long as the property remains derelict. BASICC will be supporting the council with this work as the level of dereliction and vacancy in the town affects all aspects of our community. We will keep you updated as this project progresses”.

Twin Towns development group vows to tackle commercial vacancy issue was last modified: September 25th, 2025 by Staff Writer

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