There has been a 37% fall in the number of ghost estates over the last 2 years.

A new report show there are now 1,770 unfinished developments around the country which is down from 2,874 in 2010.

However around 1,100 of the sites are in a seriously problematic condition and some of which could be knocked.

The Department of the Environment has been monitoring the number of unfinished developments over the past 2 years.

The latest survey which was published today shows the number of the so-called ghost estates - as well as the number of empty housing units - has dropped.

The number of vacant units has fallen by more than a quarter in the same period.

This all means that almost 16,900 properties are not in use compared with more than 23,200 back in 2010.

'Progress being made'

Around 1,100 of the developments are described as being in a serious and problematic condition and some are seen as commercially unviable due location, demand and build quality.

The Housing Minister Jan O'Sullivan says progress in tackling the problem is being made.

She says a plan to tackle this issue is being drawn up.