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For Written Answer on : 01/10/2024
Question Number(s): 281 Question Reference(s): 39166/24
Department: Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Asked by: David Stanton T.D.
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QUESTION
To ask the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage the criteria to determine if a building should be designated as being derelict; the actions that can be taken because of any such designation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
REPLY
The Derelict Sites Act 1990 imposes a general duty on every owner and occupier of land to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the land does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site. 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.
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 under the Act 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 using their powers under the Act to compulsorily acquire derelict sites.
The Vacant Homes Action Plan Progress Report (April 2024) sets out the significant progress that has been achieved across Government under objectives contained in Pathway 4 of Housing for All in 2023 and the further steps that will be taken in 2024 to bring more vacant and derelict properties into use as homes.
A copy of the Vacant Homes Action Plan and the related Progress Report can be accessed on my Department’s website at following link: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/df86c-vacant-homes-action-plan-2023-2026/
Under the Action Plan, the third round of funding was announced under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), a €150 million revolving fund for local authorities to acquire vacant or derelict properties (residential and/or commercial), using their compulsory purchase powers where necessary and to carry out any associated works needed to de-risk or improve the property to make it more attractive for re-use or sale. The fund will be replenished from the proceeds received from the end use/user, thereby allowing the local authority to establish a rolling programme of acquisitions in order to tackle long term vacancy and dereliction without recourse to borrowing and the associated financial risk. More than 1,200 vacant and derelict properties have now been identified and approved under the scheme and the estimated residential yield from these properties is 5,406 homes.
