Longford Council move on derelict sites

Longford County Council confirmed they will be attaching financial penalties to vacant and derelict properties under plans in the next local authority budget. The move was outlined to members following a motion regarding property levies raised at the September meeting of council members.
Cllr Seamus Butler's motion requested Longford County Council to consider levies on zoned unused sites and derelict buildings in the forthcoming 2023 budget process.

Cllr Butler (FF) said the imposition of such a levies would have a two fold influence. The first to encourage owners to either develop the sites or sell them on; the second is that such levies could be used as an income steam for the local authority to spend on regeneration projects.

Cllr Colm Murray (FG) cautioned that blanket levies were not necessarily the best approach to addressing the matter. The motion received the support of Cllr Uruemu Adejinmi (FF) and Cllr Garry Murtagh who said it had the potential to “open up opportunity” and address an issue that was “strangling the life out of town like Granard, Edgeworthtow and Ballymahon”.

Cllr John Browne (FG) queried who would undertake the valuation of the sites. Cllr Gerry Hagan (FG) said: “It is high time the local authority imposed such a levy.”

By law each local authority has to compile a register of lands in its area suitable for housing but not being developed. Since January 2017, these registers were established and a vacant site levy was due to be charged from January 2019 onwards.

An identified vacant site can be entered onto the register when the local authority is of the opinion that it has been vacant for a minimum of 12 months preceding its entry on the register.
Director of Services for Planning and Project Delivery, John Brannigan, told members that for budget 2023 an app has been prepared by the State and the local authority which will identify all vacant properties.

The Director of Services for Planning and Project Delivery told members: “Penalties will be collected by Revenue in 2024. That's the way we are moving forward. With regard to vacant homes we are identifying resources to be more active in that area,” suggesting the preferred option was to encourage owners to maintain the properties.

He explained: “There's the option of imposing the 3% levy on the two registers we have (derelict site register and vacant property register). If that is not payable, it remains a charge on the property. Today property values are low so we haven't pursued that option.”

Mr Brannigan said local auctioneers would conduct the valuation of the derelict sites and vacant properties to assess the value of the levies.