COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, July 14, 2014

QUESTION NO.18

QUESTION: Councillor P. Gogarty

To ask the Chief Executive, given the relatively large number of vacant warehouses in industrial zones and to a lesser extent retail outlets, to outline the options available to the Council to facilitate startup businesses and community/sporting bodies to use vacant space by ensuring an affordable rent or to provide community services that would otherwise not be available, in buildings that would otherwise not be used, for example through incentives, short term leases or a review of the rent rebate scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter?

REPLY:

The Council would be generally supportive for the redevelopment and reuse of vacant commercial facilities, although individual proposals would have to be considered in the light of planning regulations. In particular detailed consideration on a case by case basis would have to be given to the appropriatness  of utilising industrial buildings for community/ sporting uses given possible conflict of such uses within areas of industrial enterprise, given HGV movement and on-going industrial process in close proximity. The Council is currently undertaking a number of projects to support economic development including a detailed Countywide economic survey to gather focused data  to further calibrate support for business and enterprise and is giving detailed consideration to measures to redevelop underused industrial estates. 

The opportunities which exist in the context of vacant commercial properties will be revisited and discussed with the members during the preparation of the budget for 2015.