Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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249. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to issue a circular clarifying the criteria regarding the vacant site levy designation for agricultural land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18525/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, 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, under-utilised sites in urban areas.  Under the Act, planning authorities are required to establish a register of vacant sites in their functional areas, beginning on 1 January 2017.  Planning authorities will be issuing notices to owners of vacant sites by 1 June 2018 in respect of vacant sites on the register on 1 January 2018, indicating that the levy will apply to those sites on 1 January 2019.  

The primary purpose of the levy is to act as an incentive for the bringing forward of vacant under-used sites for development for residential or regeneration purposes. The implementation of the vacant site levy provisions is a matter for each local authority, including the identification of residential and regeneration land as underpinned by the development plan process, and the identification of individual cases in accordance with the criteria set out in the legislation.

As set out in my Department's Circular PL7/2016 which issued on 1 July 2016, sites may be in areas where the land is zoned for a particular purpose, e.g. residential. However, pending development appropriate to its zoning, the land may currently or on an interim basis have an agricultural use. In its application of the levy provisions, it is a matter for a local authority to make an assessment of specific sites in relation to their zoning, in particular in relation to the need for housing in the general urban area and the suitability of the land in question for housing in terms of being serviced by necessary infrastructure.

My Department has actively engaged with local authorities in relation to the implementation of the vacant site levy by issuing guidance and holding information seminars.  A further information seminar for local authorities is scheduled for 1 May next to discuss the implementation of the levy generally, any specific matters arising and with a view to ensuring consistency of approach in relation to its implementation.  Following this, consideration will be given as to whether further advice or clarification by way of a circular letter is required.

My Department will continue to monitor implementation of the levy to ensure that it is being fully harnessed, in line with its intended purpose of incentivising the development of vacant or under-utilised sites in urban areas and so that the full potential of the measure can be realised.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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250. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of vacant site levy designations that have been appealed to An Bord Pleanála to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18526/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, 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, 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. Planning authorities will be issuing notices to owners of vacant sites by 1 June 2018 in respect of vacant sites on the register on 1 January 2018, indicating that the levy will apply to those sites on 1 January 2019. 

There are a number of appeal provisions in the Act, including an appeal against the entry of a site on the register, an appeal of market value determination of a site and appeal against demand for payment of the levy.

As of 23 April 2018, An Bord Pleanála had received 33 valid appeals against the entry of sites on the registers of planning authorities in 2018.