COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 09, 2024

QUESTION NO. 40

QUESTION: Councillor J. Spear

To ask the Chief Executive to give a report on the plans to collect the outstanding vacant sites levy - €540,750?  The report should include how many owners of properties have not paid their levy, and what steps the council is taking to collect the arrears.

REPLY:

The amount quoted in the question relates to the Vacant Sites Levy only, and is a levy provided for under the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act, 2015.  This is different to the Derelict Sites Levy which is a separate levy provided for under the Derelict Sites Act 1990.  A site can only be on one register, either the Vacant Site or the Derelict Sites, but not both.

The figure of €540,750 is the outstanding levies for two sites on the vacant sites register, both owing levies since 2019.  The register is publicly available on the Council’s website at Vacant Sites - SDCC. The related sites are located at Mill Road, Saggart and along Peamount Road, Newcastle.  The site at Mill Road has outstanding levies of €504,000 while the site at Peamount Road has outstanding levies of 37,500.

The Council has sent invoices and repeated reminders to both landowners and will continue to do so. The Vacant Site levy is on a list of checks that come up during any conveyancing process so that should the land be put up for sale the need to pay the levy will arise.