Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 99: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the value and breakdown of lands that have been transferred to the land aggregation scheme to date; the total estimated value of lands that will be transferred when the process is complete; the number of local authorities that are transferring land to the scheme and the valuation process for determining a value for the individual transfers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37441/10]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Land Aggregation Scheme, housing authorities may, subject to approval from my Department, transfer residential lands on which there are outstanding loans from the Housing Finance Agency to Housing and Sustainable Communities Ltd. (HSC Ltd – a company under the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency) when the loans fall due for redemption and on the basis that there are no short to medium term plans for the development of the land. In such cases it is intended that the local authority will redeem the loan from the Housing Finance Agency in advance of transferring the land. Funding to redeem the loan will be made available from my Department.

HSC Ltd. will be responsible for the management and maintenance of lands transferred under the scheme.

Applications totalling almost €41 million from five housing authorities have been received by my Department. However, the amount recouped will depend on a number of factors, including whether a portion of the loan has already been redeemed and/or there has been any apportionment or partial development of the site.

To date one site put forward by Wicklow Town Council has been approved by my Department for inclusion in the scheme. The associated Housing Finance Agency loan of €1,390,114.60 has been redeemed.

The remaining applications, listed below, are currently being assessed, in consultation with the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency.

Following transfer of the land, HSC will be required to prepare a report and implement a strategy for the management, utilisation and ultimate development of the land in question, including valuation in the event of land disposal. HSC Ltd. will seek input from the relevant local authority and other interested bodies in respect of the land in question when preparing the report.

It is expected that further requests from housing authorities to transfer lands under the scheme will be made in the coming months.