Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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110. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will introduce a vacant land levy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2399/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 introduced a new measure, the vacant site levy, which is aimed at incentivising the development of vacant or under-utilised sites in urban areas.

Under the Act, planning authorities are required to establish a register of vacant sites in their areas, beginning on 1 January 2017, and to issue annual notices to owners of vacant sites by 1 June 2018 in respect of vacant sites on the register on 1 January 2018. The levy will be applied by planning authorities, commencing on 1 January 2019, in respect of sites which were vacant and on the vacant site register during the preceding year (i.e. 2018) and will subsequently be applied on an annual basis thereafter, as long as a site remains on the vacant site register in the preceding year.

Planning authorities are empowered to apply an annual vacant site levy of 3% of the market value of vacant sites exceeding 0.05 hectares (or 500 square metres) in area - with reduced or zero rates of levy applying in specific circumstances – which, in the planning authority’s opinion, were vacant or idle in the preceding year, in areas identified by the planning authority in its development plan or local area plan for residential or regeneration development.

My Department issued general guidance in July 2016 on implementation of the vacant site levy to planning authorities by way of Circular Letter PL 7/2016, entitled Implementation of the Vacant Site Levy, as provided for in the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015, which is available onmy Department’s website at the following link - .

My Department will monitor the implementation of the levy provisions to ensure that it is being fully used in line with its intended purpose of incentivising the development of vacant or under-utilised sites in urban areas and promoting and implementing the concept of sustainable urban development.