Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am opposing amendments Nos. 8 and 14 to 17, inclusive, whose collective purpose is to bring the implementation of the vacant site levy forward by one year.

While in certain circumstances the Constitution allows the State to delimit the property rights of individuals in the interest of the common good, such restrictions on landowners’ property rights must be reasonable and proportionate to the ends that the legislation seeks to achieve. In particular, measures such as the vacant site levy must be introduced in line with the principles of fair procedures and administration. In this regard, the Bill provides the timeframe for key actions by the planning authority in the implementation of the levy.

Adequate time needs to be given for lead-in for such legislation and for due process. Realistically, the local authorities need time to study their respective urban areas. It should be noted once this Bill is passed, they can commence with identifying candidate sites. That in itself will send a strong signal to the owners of these sites that they need to get their houses in order and need to start preparing plans. There are already positive signs of what is in the pipeline. For the first quarter of this year, planning applications are up 30% on last year. We need to see more of that, preferably in our towns and cities and urban sites. We need to exploit the public services that already exist. Deputy Catherine Murphy explained this about transport, public sewerage and water systems, broadband and so forth. We have sites that can be brought back into beneficial use. The whole thrust of the vacant site levy is to stimulate that.