Levies not payable until next year

Owners of a Greystones site and one of the Bray sites have appealed their inclusion on the vacant sites register.

The sites are at Killincarrig in Greystones and Adelaide Road in Bray. The Greystones site measures around half a hectare, and the Bray site 0.3 hectares.

Catahoirleach of Greystones Municipal District Gerry Walsh said that owners will receive notification in 2018, but that the levy of three per cent wouldn’t be payable until 2019. He said that this is in the event that nothing has happened by next year, so there is an opportunity available for owners to develop sites prior to having to pay.

Cllr Walsh said that at this time, the focus is on town and village centre.

He said that, looking at Greystones, the former La Touche Hotel is an obvious site in the town which hasn’t been developed. At the moment the position is that a planning application for the site is out for further information. Cllr Walsh said that in all cases, planning applications are being processed.

‘As far as the Department is concerned, a live application does not negate this process.’ He said that the idea is to get ‘shovels on the ground’.

There are three sites in Kilcoole, said Cllr Walsh, two of which have been vacant for some time and one of which had a fire in recent years. Again, there are applications in for the sites.

In one case, there was permission granted earlier this month. In the case of a site at the corner of Sea Road, a decision is due mid-February. ‘ There should be movement by the end of the year,’ he said. In the case of a site at the Killincarrig Roundabout, Cllr Walsh said that a planning permission was already granted and is currently being appealed to An Bord Pleanala by a third party. There is a derelict house on the site. ‘ There is a bit of breathing space,’ said Cllr Walsh. He said that the council will visit sites again and see what progress has been made.