This is a straightforward matter in many cases. As regards the 500 plus estates I mentioned, it is a matter for the local authority to take the necessary action by way of resolution or otherwise to take over the estates. The complaints about and the reasons for the unfinished estates vary considerably. There can be minor problems, such as the paving of roads and footpaths and insufficient lighting, and major problems, such as those with sewerage and water. In some cases it is a matter of finishing the green area in an estate.
The Planning and Development Bill, 1999, has provisions to take into account in future the record of builders if they do not finish an estate. Most of the estates date from the 1970s and 1980s. There are few unfinished estates from the 1990s when the local authorities got their act together and phased in building and increased bonding, which have proved effective. Some problems are persistent, however, and date back to the 1970s and 1980s.