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Unfinished Housing Developments

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 December 2012

Tuesday, 4 December 2012

Questions (431, 432, 433)

Brian Stanley

Question:

431. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government if he will issue specific instructions to local authorities to intervene on public health grounds to maintain treatment plants in unfinished housing estates in circumstances in which developers refuse, or are no longer in a position to do. [54584/12]

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Brian Stanley

Question:

432. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government if he will make local authorities put in place speed ramps and other traffic calming measures when requested to do so by residents associations in unfinished estates to deal with road safety issues. [54585/12]

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Brian Stanley

Question:

433. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government the legislative measures or regulations he will introduce to deal with ghost estates and unfinished estates in order to bring some certainty and closure to residents of all such estates. [54586/12]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 431 to 433, inclusive, together.

I am chairing the National Co-ordination Committee on Unfinished Housing Developments to oversee implementation of the Report of the Advisory Group on Unfinished Housing Developments, together with the Government’s response to the recommendations. Both documents were published on 9 June 2011 and are available on my Department’s website - www.environ.ie. The Committee has met on ten occasions since it was established in June 2011 and has harnessed the input of members representing the banking, construction, and local authority sectors as well as NAMA and residents.

To date, my Department has made allocations totalling some €3.5 million to local authorities to address immediate safety issues. The types of works that have been approved to date include the fencing off of unsecured and hazardous areas, capping of pipes, installation of street lighting, and other works to secure sites. My Department will be making further allocations as applications are received from local authorities and assessed. It is open to local authorities to make application for funding under the scheme where the estate in question qualifies for funding.

Planning authorities are making progress in securing the co-operation of developers, financial institutions and/or bond holders, thereby obviating the need to use Exchequer resources to fund such work. Developers and owners of unfinished housing developments (or their receivers, where appointed) have the primary legal obligation in addressing outstanding problems associated with these developments.

As part of the work of the National Co-Ordination Committee, a legislative review group was set up to assess the adequacy of existing legislation in tackling the issues associated with unfinished housing developments. Its remit was to review legislation such as the Derelict Sites Act 1990; the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Act, 1964, the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2010 and the Water Services Act, 2007 with a view to strengthening or amending provisions to take account of the issues associated with unfinished developments. It concluded that the existing legislation was adequate and no amending legislation was necessary. Road safety issues come within the remit of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport.

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