Vol. 406 No. 2
1 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment if he has any plans to reverse his decision to abolish the Dublin Metropolitan Streets Commission; his views on whether the continued widespread dereliction of Dublin city needs special measures to resolve it; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I have no plans to reinstate the commission. Dublin Corporation have a wide range of measures open to them to control and to eliminate dereliction in Dublin city and to improve the amenities of the city through, for example, pedestrianisation and landscaping programmes. The new Derelict Sites Act passed last year, requires the corporation to take all reasonable steps to ensure that land in their functional area does not become or continue to be a derelict site. The more effective powers under this Act will facilitate the corporation in taking action to prevent and remedy dereliction in the city.
The Act provides for an annual levy, based on market value, on certain derelict sites and I intend that this levy will come into operation from 1 January 1992.
I would also point out that under the urban renewal scheme a wide range of financial incentives is available to promote development and redevelopment works in the designated areas of the city which comprise some 400 acres. To date, private sector projects valued at £212 million, including developments completed, in progress and in planning, have been generated by the scheme in Dublin in addition to the Custom House Docks project. All of these developments will significantly contribute to the restoration of the physical fabric of the city.
Under the urban improvement grants scheme introduced by the Government in 1989, grants totalling £993,200, matched by a similar amount from the local authority's own resources, have been paid to the corporation to finance a programme of works involving pedestrianisation, upgrading of footpaths, landscaping, etc.
Will the Minister accept that it was a mistake to take on board only half the package left by the Government of which I was a member and abandoning the Metropolitan Streets Commission which was the second part of the plan for refurbishment? Will he accept that many of the derelict sites in Dublin city are in the ownership of the very authority which are supposed to be policing them, namely Dublin Corporation? Will the Minister accept that, even with the Derelict Sites Act and the Urban Renewal Act, Dublin will remain a city in tatters for many years to come unless powers are urgently implemented?
On the contrary, there have been considerable improvements in the aesthetics of Dublin City and Dublin Corporation have the power and capacity to implement the necessary improvements in the city centre. The Deputy is on record as recognising the great contribution which the designated areas have made to the revitalisation and general improvement of the city; the process is ongoing. It is worth bearing in mind that, in a few short years, Dublin Corporation spent about £2.75 million on pedestrianisation schemes. That, together with the possibilities under the Derelict Sites Act which will become operable from 1 January next, will make a great difference. Substantial progress has been made and continues to be supported by the Government and the Corporation.
Will the Minister accept that while the Urban Renewal Act and the designated areas under it is a success — and I am glad to have played a part in bringing that about as a member of a previous Government — we need more than just individual planning applications, for example, to develop the Dublin quays, Mountjoy Square and others? Will he accept that there is a need for an overall plan and approach to some of our main throughfares if the city is to look even half right for the next century?
I am pleased the Deputy accepts that considerable progress has been made under the Urban Renewal Act, 1986, and I am thankful for his support in that regard. It is interesting to note that, between 1975 and 1986, Dublin Corporation did not receive one single planning application for development along the quays in the designated areas but, since then, there has been a considerable upsurge in activity. As I stated, the amount of money committed, the number of developments in planning and the jobs created in that area have gone a long way towards relieving the dereliction which was very much a feature of inner city Dublin. Thankfully, that is on the wane and we look forward to a revitalised and refurbished city centre.
