COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, June 08, 2020
QUESTION NO.4
QUESTION: Councillor Yvonne Collins
To ask the Chief Executive to list, in tabular form by area, the number of vacant sites in it's functional area, the number of requests made by the Council for payment of vacant site levies in respect of same, the number of sites in relation to which payment has been received and the total overall amount received for 2017, 2018 and 2019
REPLY:
Under the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015, each local authority is required to compile a register of lands in its area that are suitable for housing but are not coming forward for development. These Vacant Sites Registers (VSR) were established on January 1st 2017, and a vacant site levy is charged from January 2019 onwards.
The Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2018 contains certain provisions which have amended certain provisions the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act (e.g. increase in the vacant site levy from 3% to 7%).
A vacant site is defined as follows: Any land (exceeding 0.05 hectares) where:
In the case of residential land, there is a need for housing in the area, the site is suitable for housing and the majority of the site is vacant or idle, or is not being used primarily for the provision of housing (subject to the most recent purchase of the site occurring after it became residential land), And, In the case of regeneration land, the majority of the site has not been in use (i.e. vacant) for an extended period of time and where the fact that the site being vacant is having a negative impact on existing amenities or on the character of the area.
An identified vacant site can be entered onto the Register when the council is of the opinion that it has been vacant for a minimum of 12 months preceding its entry on the Register. As set out in Section 8 of the Urban and Regeneration Housing Act 2015, the following information relative to the site is included in the public VSR
- A description (including a map)
- Where the site comprises registered land, the folio details;
- The name and address of the owner;
- Particulars of the market value of the site; and
- Such other information referred to in the Act that the Minister may prescribe.
A site can only be removed from the VSR if development starts, where the development of houses or urban regeneration occurs, or if zoning changes occur removing any Residential or Regeneration zoning from the lands.
In 2019, a total of 3 demands were issued, with 2 of these demands cancelled under Section 17 of the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 which provides for a situation where ownership has changed. It should be noted that notwithstanding that fees may become zero, the site will still remain on the register unless there is proof that development has occurred on site by the new owner. One such site, in respect of which a demand was issued, has since also been removed from the VSR.
No Levies have been collected to date and there is currently only one site levied for 2019.
The following relates to current entries in the SDCC VSR
|
Register No. |
Address of Property |
Date Site entered on register |
Date Valuation entered on register |
2017 Levies Issued |
2018 Levies Issued |
2019 Levies Issued |
|
SD/VS304 |
Junction of Hazelhatch Road and Newcastle Main Street, Newcastle, Co. Dublin (Formerly McEvoys Pub). |
19th May 2017 |
11th October 2018 |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
SD/VS157 |
Site located at Alymer Heath; accessed off Alymer Green and Alymer Grove, Newcastle, Co. Dublin |
11th August 2017 |
11th October 2018 |
No |
No |
Yes (Cancelled), |
|
SD/VS64 |
Lands at the junction of Grange Road, Nutgrove Avenue and Loreto College, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 |
15th March 2018 |
12th December 2018 |
No |
No |
No |
|
SD/VS367 |
Blessington Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24 |
15th March 2018 |
12th December 2018 |
No |
No |
No |
|
SD/VS079 |
Site located along Peamount Road, Newcastle, Co. Dublin |
18th December 2018 |
16th October 2019 |
No |
No |
No |
|
SD/VS248 |
Site at junction of Main Street & Boherboy, Saggart, Co. Dublin |
18th December 2018 |
16th October 2019 |
No |
No |
No |
|
SD/VS315 |
Ardeevin Avenue, Lucan, Co. Dublin |
18th December 2018 |
16th October 2019 |
No |
No |
No |
|
SD/VS365 |
Site located at Mill Road, Saggart, Co. Dublin |
18th December 2018 |
16th October 2019 |
No |
No |
No |