Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Coveney, I will take this Topical Issue. I thank Deputy Durkan for raising it.

As indicated in previous replies to parliamentary questions and in previous Topical Issue debates, the management of stalled development in Naas is a matter for Kildare County Council in the first instance. With processes under way involving NAMA and arbitration, it would be improper for the Minister to become involved. Nonetheless, I am informed by Kildare County Council that the securing of a satisfactory conclusion to the development of the Naas Town Centre site has been a particular focus of its efforts over the past number of years. In this context, the council, on foot of arbitration procedures, has successfully completed an agreement with one of two site owners relating to the provision of roads infrastructure to service the Naas Town Centre site. The arbitration case relating to the second site owner remains to be heard by the property arbitrator. Kildare County Council understands that the hearing in this case is scheduled for April 2017.

In parallel with these arbitration cases, Kildare County Council has also been involved in ongoing discussions with the owner of the Naas Town Centre site and his agents with a view to advancing development of the site as early as possible. The council continues to encourage both the financial institutions that have a controlling interest in the site and the owner of the site to either apply for planning permission for development on the site or to offer the site for sale on the open market. This matter was discussed at a meeting in Kildare County Council on 25 January 2017, and I am informed that there has been no change in the position since the Minister's last reply to Deputy Durkan on this issue.

The appointment of proper arbitrators is a matter for the Land Values Reference Committee, as provided for under the Property Values (Arbitration and Appeals) Act 1960. While I have no function in this matter, it is understood from the committee secretary that, as regards resources available to deal with arbitration matters, there is currently one full-time property arbitrator and, following a competitive process undertaken by the Courts Service on behalf of the Land Values Reference Committee, seven part-time property arbitrators were retained from 25 August 2014 on contract to be available to undertake arbitrations where, due to conflict of interest or volume of work, the permanent arbitrator was not in a position to undertake the arbitration.

I understand also that the full-time property arbitrator was assigned to deal with the application that is the subject of the case raised by the Deputy and that the reference committee understands that the matter has not been held up by virtue of the arbitrator assigned. I am sure that if the Deputy requires further information on the matter, the committee, if contacted directly, would be happy to engage with him.

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