The Republic's housing minister Jan O'Sullivan is determined to see the bulk of the of 2,066 ghost estates dotting the 26 counties completed within a year, but some of them are going to be obliterated from the landscape.
To date, 211 unfinished housing developments have been completed by local authorities, and work is underway on another 770, a recently released report reveals.
But O'Sullivan has let it be known that a number of unfinished estates would have to be demolished because there was no demand for homes in their locations. Most of those slated for demolition will be in the midlands and border counties.
"These are complex issues and it's a process that takes time. We are addressing it and we expect considerable progress in the next year," O'Sullivan said.
"It's a question of making the decisions required to make life better for people in these estates. Hard decisions will have to be made in some parts if these estates are not viable."
