Written answers

Tuesday, 14 November 2017

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Land Availability

Photo of Tommy BroughanTommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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514. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount of land owned by each local authority that could be developed; the amount of time each piece of land has been vacant or undeveloped; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47954/17]

Photo of Eoghan MurphyEoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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In accordance with the Local Authority Accounting in Ireland Code of Practice and Accounting Regulations, which is available on my Department's website at the following link,

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A local authority is required to record its assets, including land assets, in the Statement of Financial Position (Balance Sheet) when it is probable that the future economic benefits will flow to the local authority, and the asset has a cost or value that can be measured reliably.

Moreover, the active management of the publicly owned housing land bank is part of a range of actions being progressed under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, designed to accelerate and increase housing output.

To this end, on 27 April 2017, details of some 1,700 hectares of land in local authority and Housing Agency ownership were published on the Rebuilding Ireland Housing Land Map, with the potential to deliver some 42,500 homes nationally. These sites can be viewed at the following link:.Local authorities are also required to confirm and update the data on a quarterly basis to ensure that the data held on this mapping database is fully up to date.

In order to ensure a consistent and comprehensive approach to the development of these publicly owned lands, all local authorities have been requested to prepare Strategic Development and Management Plans for housing lands in their ownership, with particular emphasis on prioritising those sites with the most potential to deliver housing at scale, in the short to medium term.  My Department has requested those local authorities that have yet to submit their plans, to do so without delay.

It is my intention that, when all the plans have been reviewed and finalised, they will be made available publicly, both on the dedicated Rebuilding Ireland website as well as the website of the relevant local authority.

My Department will continue to work with all local authorities, the Housing Agency and State bodies to ensure that, where appropriate, housing is delivered from publicly owned sites that are strategically located, serviced and available for development.

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