asked the Minister for the Environment if he will give a progress report on the steps, if any, which have been taken to provide tax free status for the Tallaght town centre area indicating approximately when the preparations for this will be concluded and the manner in which this proposed scheme will operate indicating the benefits for (a) developers, (b) occupiers and (c) Dublin County Council as a local rating authority for the area in connection with the Tallaght town centre project; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Tallaght Town Centre Project.
62.
As announced by the Minister for Finance in his Budget Statement of 27 January it is the Government's intention to designate an area in Tallaght for urban renewal incentives. The purpose of designation is to bring forward the date of construction of a town centre for Tallaght. This project has been delayed for too long and it is the Government's aim to utilise the tax incentives and rates remission of the urban renewal scheme to expedite it. The precise area to be designated will be the one which offers the best prospects of early completion of a town centre. Negotiations are presently underway between Dublin Corporation, the owners of lands earmarked for construction of the town centre, and a prospective developer. The choice of area to be designated will depend on the outcome of these negotiations. The benefits of designation for developers and occupiers will be the generous tax incentives and rates remission available. The benefits for Dublin County Council will be the realisation of their aim of providing a town centre. In the longer term there will also be considerable rates revenue.