The Derelict Sites Act 1990 imposes a general duty on every owner and occupier of land to take all reasonable steps to ensure that land does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site as defined in the Act. The Act also imposes a duty on local authorities to take all reasonable steps, including the exercise of appropriate statutory powers, to ensure that any land within their functional area does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site.
Each local authority maintains a Derelict Sites Register under section 8 of the Act for sites which they consider are derelict under the Act. Sites entered on the Derelict Sites Register are subject to an annual Derelict Sites Levy of 7% of the market value of the property which will continue to apply until the site is rendered non-derelict.
The placing of sites on the Derelict Sites Register and the collecting of levies on those sites is a function set out tin the Derelict Sites Act 1990 for Local Authorities to undertake.
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 and this is undertaken in Quarter 2 of following year. Statistics for 2025 are not currently available.
In 2024, the most recent year on record, Fingal County Council had 15 sites on the register and did not issue a demand for or receive any levies. Derelict Site returns for 2024 received by local authorities are available here: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-governmient-and-heritage/publications/annual-returns-for-2024-received-from-local-authorities-under-the-derelict-sites-act-1990/
Working to end dereliction and vacancy is a key priority in the Government's new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities
with a number of specific actions aimed to further support existing and ongoing measures to reduce dereliction. The Plan will ensure that the activities and resources used to address vacancy and dereliction are co-ordinated, and that legislative powers are used proactively to work to bring dereliction and vacancy to an end.
