South Wicklow properties not yet on register
NO properties from south Wicklow and within Arklow Municipal District are included in the Wicklow County Council Vacant Sites Register.
The register, published for the first time recently, is a listing of vacant sites which have development potential but are not earmarked for any specific purpose.
According to Arklow Municipal District Councillor Pat Fitzgerald, the district has not yet been fully assessed for the Vacant Sites Register, as the lack of adequate wastewater treatment infrastructure would preclude new development from going ahead.
Similarly, in areas such as Aughrim and Avoca, where sewage plants are at capacity, no new houses can be constructed.
The planning application is soon expected to be lodged in relation to the Arklow wastewater treatment plant, but no plans are in progress for the outer areas.
‘ There are no sites in Arklow on the register as the purpose of the levy is to stimulate property owners into rendering their properties active,’ said Cllr Fitzgerald.
He outlined that this would encourage landowners to bring their sites into a valid and legal use or by submitting a planning permission application.
‘At the moment, Wicklow County Council has been advised that Irish Water are not granting connections for any new local developments in the Arklow area so it would be unfair to levy someone for not developing their lands when they cannot secure permission to do so because of the wastewater situation,’ he said.