Eighteen locations on new county Vacant Sites Register
A NUMBER of site owners in County Wicklow have already appealed their inclusion on the Vacant Sites Register.
A total of 18 sites from locations around the county have been included on the register, which was compiled by officials of Wicklow County Council last year, with some consultation with councillors.
The sites were registered just before Christmas and include four sites in Bray, two in Greystones, seven in Newtownmountkennedy, four in Rathnew and one in Wicklow town. There are no sites from Arklow, south Wicklow or west Wicklow on the register.
Under the legislation, a levy will be applied to vacant sites, in cases where a loan does not apply to that particular site.
The levy will be applied annually by Wicklow County Council up to a rate of three per cent of the market value of the vacant site. Sites capable of providing housing are of particular focus.
The Vacant Site Levy ( VSL) was introduced in response to the number of sites lying vacant across the country. It is envisaged that the VSL will stimulate development and housing supply to address the housing shortage, while also creating activity in the construction sector and helping to encourage economic recovery.
For a site to be considered for entry on the register, it, or the majority of it, must be vacant or idle. It may also have an adverse effect on existing amenities.
Once it was determined that a site fulfilled the criteria, the planning authority would write to the owner of the site outlining the reasons behind its proposed inclusion and owners had 28 days to make a submission.
The submissions were considered and if the local authority still felt it should be levied, sites were included on the register.
The owner will be charged and levied each year, beginning with 2018, that a market value had been determined and it stands entered on the register.
Owners can appeal to An Bord Pleanála. They may also appeal to the Valuation Tribunal against the market value of the site within 28 days after the date of the notice. Any money raised from the VSL must be used for development and renewal in the vicinity of the site.