Ms Geraldine Tallon:

Development levies are levied in the context of a planning application. A figure may be identified as a condition of planning approval. A planning consent with a condition attached identifying the development levy contribution per house, number of houses or per square metre - whatever the case may be - may never be taken advantage of. Long-term debt represents a tot by a local authority related to planning consent conditions. We would not necessarily know whether or not the development has ever happened. One would expect in a local authority context that once a commencement notice for development is provided, the clock begins to roll in respect of the associated conditions. Development contributions associated with a development's commencement notice become a current development contribution debtor as, by definition, that development will be built. Permissions in respect of which no planning commencement notice has been lodged and in respect of which there is no prospect in the current climate of the development going ahead, are classified as long-term development contribution debt. It may never be realisable as the development associated with the permission may never happen.