Michael Moynihan
Question:151 Mr. M. Moynihan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the meaning of the term "deadweight" in the context of the town renewal scheme. [22577/00]
Written Answers. - Town Renewal Scheme.
The term "deadweight" refers to development that is likely to proceed without the benefit of tax incentives. The guidelines for the town renewal scheme required county councils to adhere to a number of principles when selecting sites for designation. These include: scarce public resources must be targeted at areas and buildings of greatest need and potential; the award of incentives can only be justified where it can be shown that they will assist in overcoming identifiable barriers to desired development; the selection of areas and buildings for designation must relate to the achievement of the town renewal plan objectives, and the selection process must address certain problems, including deadweight.
County councils in drawing up the town renewal plans were asked to take particular care to avoid the problem of deadweight and to propose only those sites for which, in their opinion, incentives were really necessary to secure development.