Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 June 2020
1213. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the criteria used to measure housing need in areas with respect to non-operation of a vacant site register by some local authorities due to lack of housing need as per PBO Publication 29 of 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8972/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the vacant site levy provisions in the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015, planning authorities were empowered to apply a vacant site levy of 3% of the market valuation of relevant properties which were listed on local authority vacant site registers in 2018, which relevant owners were liable to pay in January 2019. The rate of the levy increased to 7% for sites listed on local authority vacant sites register from 2019 onwards which site owners became liable to pay in January 2020.
Local Authorities can only apply the levy if the criteria set out in the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 (the Act) are satisfied i.e.
- the site is situated in an area where there is a need for housing,
- the site is suitable for the provision of housing, and
- the site, or a majority of the site, is vacant or idle.
The specific criteria in relation to determining whether or not there is a need for housing in an area within a planning authority's functional area are set out in section 6(4) of the Act. Such determination is required to be assessed by reference to -
- the housing strategy and the core strategy of the planning authority,
- house prices and the cost of renting in the area,
- the number of households qualified for social housing support in accordance with section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 that have specified the area as an area of choice for the receipt of such support and any changes to that number since the adoption of the planning authority's development plan, and
- whether the number of habitable houses available for purchase of rent was less than 5% of the total number of houses in the area.
The primary purpose of the levy is to incentivise the activation of development of vacant sites in urban areas for housing and regeneration purposes, thereby bringing the sites into productive use. In certain local authority areas, particularly in more rural/ low population counties, housing need may not be as acute as in larger urban areas. Consequently, where the levy criteria are not satisfied in certain areas, there is justification for non-application of the levy in those areas. Currently 8 local authorities have not included sites on their registers.
