Vol. 521 No. 4
186 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will give the details of the budget and conditions of the scheme to complete the services, including roads, in private estates where the developer has failed to do so. [17180/00]
My Department does not have a budget for completing infrastructure in estates left unfinished by the developer. The question of taking in charge of estates is essentially a matter for each local authority. My Department carried out an informal survey of local authorities in 1998 on the extent of the problems with unfinished estates and the factors contributing to such problems. Replies received from 77 of the 88 planning authorities revealed that 706 estates were then regarded as unfinished, which, with a further 542 finished estates, had not yet been taken in charge. Expenditure arising on the issue of unfinished estates would be dealt with by local authorities in the context of their annual estimates.
However, under section 2(e) of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963, conditions may be imposed on granting a permission requiring the giving of security for satisfactory completion of the proposed development. The use of bonds by local authorities has been shown to be generally effective.
The construction industry federation's national development bond scheme was set up to assist CIF members originally in the Dublin area. The scheme has now been extended throughout the country and a circular letter asking city and county managers generally to give early and sympathetic consideration to its introduction in their administrative areas was issued by my Department in April of this year. This bond scheme will co-exist with the current alternatives of cash lodgment and bank/insurance company guarantee – some builders are not CIF members and, therefore, are not eligible to participate in the CIF scheme.
New requirements on planning authorities concerning the taking in charge of estates are provided in the Planning and Development Bill, 1999. The bill provides that where an estate has been finished to the satisfaction of a local authority, the authority must take an estate in charge when the developer or a majority of the residents request that the authority do so. Where an estate is unfinished and the period – seven years – for taking enforcement action has expired, and a majority of the residents so request, the planning authority will also be obliged to take the estate in charge.
