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Local Authority Housing Maintenance

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 April 2019

Thursday, 18 April 2019

Questions (312, 313)

Róisín Shortall

Question:

312. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of his plans for the issue of estates that residents wish to be taken in charge by a local authority (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18157/19]

View answer

Róisín Shortall

Question:

313. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount of funding available for Cork city and council councils to take in charge estates; if funding is also available to cover works required by Irish Water; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18158/19]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 312 and 313 together.

Residential developments consisting of two or more dwellings that have been granted planning permission under Section 34 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) may be eligible (depending on the grant of planning condition) for taking in charge. The taking in charge of residential estates by local authorities is provided for under Section 180 of the 2000 Act and is a reserved function of the elected members.

Under Section 180 (1) of the Act, the planning authority is obliged to initiate taking in charge procedures where requested by either the developer or by the majority of owners of the dwellings. However, this is subject to the development being completed to the satisfaction of the authority and in accordance with the permission and any conditions.

My Department launched the National Taking-in-Charge Initiative (NTICI) in April 2016 to trial new approaches and working methods in supporting and accelerating overall national and local action on the taking-in-charge process of housing estates, including estates with developer-provided water services infrastructure (DPI). Under the terms of the NTICI, which was underpinned by €10 million in funding, developments subject to valid taking-in-charge applications were eligible for inclusion in the associated call for funding proposals. Ultimately, €7.5 million of the allocated funding was paid to local authorities in respect of 330 developments, containing some 14,930 homes. Of this €7.5 million, a total of approximately €510,000 was paid to Cork City and Cork County Councils, assisting 18 estates containing 855 homes.

Findings and recommendations from the NTICI process were included in a report on the initiative that was published by my Department in December 2018. The report is available at the following link.

While the NTICI was not intended as a rolling funding programme for taking estates in charge but provided instead a focused examination of the issues involved, the publication of the NTICI report is of value to local authorities and other stakeholders in applying the lessons from the pilot authorities, in a more general roll-out of a streamlined approach to taking-in-charge, including through coordination with capital works by Irish Water. In this regard, my Department is liaising with Irish Water in relation to the report.

Ultimately, however, progression of individual developments through the taking-in-charge process is a matter for the relevant housing developer, the residents in such developments and the relevant local authorities, following the procedures laid out in Section 180 of the Act.

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