Seán Sherlock
Question:1148. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of sites in a town (details supplied) that have been levied with the derelict sites levy. [1020/19]
View answerTuesday, 15 January 2019
Questions (1148)
Written answers
The Derelict Sites Act 1990 imposes a general duty on every owner and occupier of land to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the land does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site. The Act also imposes a duty on local authorities to take all reasonable steps, including the exercise of appropriate statutory powers, to ensure that any land within their functional area does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site. To this end, local authorities have been given substantial powers under the Act in relation to any such sites, including powers to require that owners or occupiers take appropriate measures on derelict sites, to acquire derelict sites by agreement, or compulsorily, and to apply a derelict sites levy on the registered owners of derelict sites.
It is open to any person to contact a local authority in relation to a particular site which may be considered a derelict site for the purposes of the Act. Under the Act, local authorities are required to maintain a register of any land which, in the opinion of the local authority, is a derelict site. Under section 8(5) of the Act, a copy of the register for any local authority area can be inspected at the offices of the relevant authority. It is a matter for local authorities to determine the most appropriate use of the legislation within their respective functional areas.
My Department collects derelict sites data at the local authority level and accordingly the information requested regarding the number of derelict sites levied in specified towns in Cork County Council's administrative area is not readily available in my Department. According to the most recent information held by my Department, which relates to 2017, there were 197 derelict sites listed on the register of Cork County Council at 31 December 2017. Of these, 19 sites were subject to the levy in 2017 and the Council has confirmed that none of these sites were located in the specified towns. Instead the Council is seeking to positively engage with the majority of the owners of registered derelict sites through mechanisms other than the levy, such as the promotion of initiatives including the Repair and Lease Scheme and the Buy and Renew Scheme with a view to bringing the properties concerned back into productive use for social housing purposes.