Pa Daly
Question:818. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his intention to address the issue of dereliction in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1898/25]
View answerWednesday, 22 January 2025
Questions (818)
Written answers
My Department continues to liaise with local authorities, including Kerry County Council, on the implementation of the Derelict Sites Act 1990 (the Act) with a view to improving its effectiveness.
Under the Act, local authorities are required to maintain a derelict sites register, which includes the name and address of each owner and occupier, where these can be ascertained by reasonable enquiry, of any land which, in the opinion of the local authority, is a derelict site. Section 8(5) of the Act, provides that "The register shall be kept at the offices of the local authority and shall be available for inspection at the offices of the local authority during office hours." There is no legislative requirement for local authorities to publish their Derelict Sites Registers on their website.
A property can be placed on the derelict site register where it is deemed by a local authority to satisfy the criteria of a derelict site under the terms of section 3 of the Act i.e. (i) it is in a dangerous or ruinous condition; (ii) it is in a neglected or unsightly condition; or (iii) there is a presence of litter, waste or debris on the site. It is not the case that a property can be placed on the derelict site register of a local authority simply by being a vacant property.
It is also worth noting that placing sites on the derelict sites register, and collecting levies in respect of those sites, is not the sole mechanism that local authorities apply in relation to bringing sites back into use. They often engage collaboratively with property owners with a view to necessary works being undertaken to bring sites back into use while also occasionally using their powers under the Act to compulsorily acquire derelict sites.
In relation to derelict homes in particular, my Department is funding a full-time Vacant Homes Officer in Kerry County Council to support the bringing back of previously occupied homes into residential use today. The Vacant Home Refurbishment Grant (VHRG) also provides grants of up to €70,000 to eligible properties that are derelict in order to undertake required refurbishment works and make them suitable for residential use once again.
Local Authorities are required to submit an annual return to my Department providing information on the operation of the Derelict Sites Act 1990 in their functional areas. The derelict sites returns are collected in Quarter 2 of the following year. The table below shows the Derelict Site Returns for Kerry County Council for 2023.
|
Local Authority |
No. of sites in respect of which a notice / demand under the Act issued |
No. Of these Sites where issues were resolved and required no further action |
No. of Derelict Sites on Register at 1 January 2023 |
No. of Derelict Sites entered onto Register during the year |
No. of Derelict Sites removed from Register during the year |
No. of Derelict Sites on Register at 31 December 2023 |
No. of Derelict Sites acquired by agreement |
No. of Derelict Sites acquired compulsorily |
No. of Derelict Sites levied during the year |
Amount levied during the year |
Amount received in respect of sites levied during 2023 |
Total Amount received in respect of levies in 2023 |
Cumulative amount of levies outstanding at 31 December 2023 |
|
Kerry |
77 |
6 |
50 |
25 |
11 |
64 |
0 |
0 |
50 |
€231,592 |
€0 |
€979 |
€703,485 |