Trevor Sargent
Question:271 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the policy in relation to multi-storey car parks in towns such as Drogheda, County Louth. [20657/99]
Written Answers. - Car Parks.
Planning for the provision of car parking in towns is a matter for each planning authority in the context of its development plan. My Department has not issued guidelines to local authorities in this matter.
Under section 344 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 tax incentives were made available for the development of multi-storey car parks in certain urban areas, to support policies of urban renewal and to support commercial and business life in the core areas of urban centres.
Developers wishing to avail of the tax incentives had to satisfy the relevant local authority that the development meets certain criteria. It must support the objective of making the core area of the urban centre the focus for the centre's commercial and business activity; the planning and design of the multi-storey car park must take account of the nature and character of the area; it must support the relevant local authority's traffic and parking management policies; and the multi-storey car park must be open to the public generally and the level and structure of parking charges and hours of operation must operate so as to encourage the use of the car park for short stay parking rather than long stay parking.
These tax incentives were due to expire on 30 June 1998, but this time limit has, subject to certain conditions, been extended to 31 December 2000. To qualify for this extension, developers were required to demonstrate to the relevant local authority that they had incurred 15 per cent of the costs of the particular project by 30 September 1999.
An integrated area plan for Drogheda was submitted by Louth County Council in relation to the 1999 urban renewal scheme. In that plan a case was made for applying tax incentives for the provision of a multi-storey car park in Dyer Street. On the recommendation of the expert advisory panel on urban renewal, this area was approved for such incentives.
Trevor Sargent
Question:272 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the policy in relation to out-of-town car parks and park and ride facilities. [20658/99]
The development of park and ride facilities, through the use of out-of-town car parks or otherwise, is widely recognised as a useful instrument of urban transport management. Well located park and ride facilities can assist in encouraging commuters to leave their cars in secure parking areas and travel by public transport to city centres, thereby reducing traffic congestion.
The main actions taken to date by this Government to promote the development by local authorities, transport providers and the private sector of park and ride facilities are the provision of £2 million in the 1999 budget for the development of such facilities in the Dublin area – this funding is currently being used for the development of new and the upgrading of existing, mainly rail based, park and ride facilities; and the inclusion of a tax incentive regime in the Finance Act, 1999 aimed at encouraging the participation of the private sector in the development of park and ride facilities to serve the cities of Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
I issued guidelines in August 1999 on the criteria and requirements to be met by park and ride facilities and associated residential development for which tax relief is sought. Further guidelines will be issued in due course relating to tax incentives for associated commercial development when the necessary EU approval for such incentives has been obtained.