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Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Dublin Port Company paid city council €1.7m in vacant site levy on land valued at €4m
The property, which was valued at €4m in 2019, was added to the vacant site register of Dublin City Council in 2018. The city council looked for payments of €280,000 for each year that the land remained vacant. Dublin Port Company appealed that decision but were unsuccessful. The company has since paid a total of €1.68m to the council and said they were now hoping to dispose of the site as it was remote from the port and not of core use. Dublin Port Company said they had at one stage been in discussions with the Land Development Agency about using it for residential use. However, plans for its sale fell through when the zoning of the site – which is next to the Dublin Port Tunnel control building – was changed. In discussions with Dublin City Council last year, the port company asked if the money paid could be used for a greenway project nearby. They suggested it be allocated to the Liffey Tolka Project, which will create a 'new boulevard' between the estuary of the Tolka River and the Liffey. A letter to the council said: 'The project will mitigate against the existing harsh landscape of East Wall Road and create a safe pedestrian and cycle route away from the main traffic movements.' They said it would also provide a route for communications and power cabling, as well as connecting two already existing cycleways. A letter said: 'Dublin Port Company will be ceding several metres of its frontage to this greenway. This project will have significant community gain, and it will be a project that will positively impact on all users of the East Wall Road.' However, Dublin City Council said they could give no assurances on how the funds would be used and were currently developing a policy on what to do with the vacant site levy. ADVERTISEMENT The council said they would be open to discussions on the Liffey Tolka Project – but that it would have to be the subject of a legal agreement. The documents were released following a request under the Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) Regulations. Being remote from the port, the site is not core to port use Dublin Port Company had originally argued that the correspondence was not 'environmental information', but following an appeal they were told to release the records by the Commissioner for Environmental Information. A statement from the Dublin Port Company said: '[We were] in discussions with the Land Development Agency about the Polefield site near the Port Tunnel between 2019 and 2022 regarding its potential redevelopment for residential use. 'However, due to a change in the zoning, the sale could no longer proceed. The port challenged the Vacant Site Levy decision in relation to the site and the decision was upheld on appeal. 'The port subsequently made a payment of €1.68m to Dublin City Council in 2024. Being remote from the port, the site is not core to port use, and DPC is open to disposal of it.'
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Dublin Port Company pays almost €1.7m in vacant site levy
The Dublin Port Company has paid almost €1.7 million in a vacant site levy for an empty piece of land in its portfolio. The property, which was valued at €4 million in 2019, was added to the vacant site register of Dublin City Council in 2018. The city council looked for payments of €280,000 for each year that the land remained vacant. Dublin Port Company appealed that decision but was unsuccessful. The company has since paid a total of €1.68 million to the council and said it was now hoping to dispose of the site as it was remote from the port and not of core use. Dublin Port Company said had at one stage been in discussions with the Land Development Agency about using it for residential use. However, plans for its sale fell through when the zoning of the site – which is next to the Dublin Port Tunnel control building – was changed. In discussions with Dublin City Council last year, the port company also asked if the money paid could be used for a greenway project nearby. The company suggested it be allocated to the Liffey Tolka project which will create a 'new boulevard' between the estuary of the Tolka River and the Liffey. READ MORE A letter to the council said: 'The project will mitigate against the existing harsh landscape of East Wall Road and create a safe pedestrian and cycle route away from the main traffic movements.' It would also provide a route for communications and power cabling as well as connecting two existing cycleways, the letter said. Will rent reform make building apartments viable? Listen | 40:12 'Dublin Port Company will be ceding several metres of its frontage to this greenway. This project will have significant community gain, and it will be a project that will positively impact on all users of the East Wall Road,' the letter said. However, Dublin City Council said they could give no assurances on how the funds would be used and they were currently developing a policy on what to do with the vacant site levy. The council said it would be open to discussions on the Liffey Tolka Project but that it would have to be the subject of a legal agreement. The documents were released following a request under the Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) Regulations. Dublin Port Company had originally argued that the correspondence was not 'environmental information' but following an appeal were told to release the records by the Commissioner for Environmental Information. A statement from the Dublin Port Company said: '[We were] in discussions with the Land Development Agency about the Polefield site near the port tunnel between 2019 and 2022 regarding its potential redevelopment for residential use.' 'However, due to a change in the zoning, the sale could no longer proceed. The port challenged the vacant site levy decision in relation to the site and the decision was upheld on appeal.' 'The port subsequently made a payment of €1.68 million to Dublin City Council in 2024. Being remote from the port, the site is not core to port use, and DPC is open to disposal of it.'
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
‘I'm treating housing crisis as emergency', insists Minister as he slams ‘weaponised' blockages for home building delays
HOUSING Minister James Browne has promised that he is 'treating the housing crisis as an emergency' as he vented his fury at the blockages that are preventing homes being built in Ireland. The Advertisement 1 Minister Browne said he is treating the housing crisis as an emergency Credit: COLLINS PHOTO 2025 The Cabinet signed off on emergency legislation to Ministers also gave the green light to a plan to give the Land Development Agency more powers to purchase and build Former This new look planning authority will be given the power to deal with applications faster as the Government looks to remove blockages that see people go to the Advertisement READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS Housing Minister James Browne today told the Irish Sun that people with no interest in winning a court case were weaponising the system simply to delay or frustrate developments. He said: 'There are frustrations in looking at how we get from 30,000 to 50,000 and 60,000 homes per year and issues around our courts. 'They have been weaponised by people who have little or no interest in terms of property or even winning their case – simply that they could hold the process up in courts long enough. 'That is why we're addressing the judicial review piece. Advertisement Most read in The Irish Sun 'We have planners that are under huge pressure in terms of what they are turning over in planning applications and that's why we're using the exemptions piece to free up the 'There are a number of other frustrations that I am working through piece by piece to see what we can do to simplify and standardise everything and get to that point then where we have certainty from the minute somebody decides they want to deliver homes for people to those keys being handed over to those Martin vows to do 'everything we can' to reduce pressure on families ahead of Budget 2026 'The process can only go as quick as the slowest part of it so that's why I'm going through each point step by step.' The Minister promised that there would be 'significant announcements' to be made in the coming weeks on housing as he promised the public: 'I am treating the housing crisis as an emergency.' Advertisement
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Judicial review into Central Mental Hospital housing development added €30m in costs and delayed project by two years
On Tuesday, representatives from the Land Development Agency (LDA) and the Housing Agency were before the Oireachtas Housing Committee. In May 2023, the LDA was granted permission to develop the site in Dublin for the construction of 852 homes on the the 34-acre site. However, the scheme was delayed because of a single objector who lodged a judicial review against An Bord Pleanála for granting permission. In September 2024, the LDA submitted updated plans for the site, which will be renamed Dublin Central, for construction of nearly 1,000 homes on the site. The new plans would see 940 apartments, 17 duplexes, and 20 houses, with building heights ranging from two to seven storeys. Asked by Fianna Fáil TD, Seamus McGrath, how much the judicial review on the site has cost, John Coleman, Chief Executive of the LDA, said the delay has resulted in an €30m in additional delivery costs. 'The impact of the delay, of the challenge, has been to add at least €30m onto the estimated delivery cost of that scheme,' Mr Coleman told the committee. Mr Coleman said that the matter was not yet concluded, and they are waiting on a final decision on the planning application. "We're not out of the woods yet. We haven't got a positive planning decision. We don't know whether we'll get a further challenge, but that's the impact,' Mr Coleman said. Judicial reviews are one of the key risks of development, Mr Coleman told the committee and said it has delayed homes for thousands of people in Dundrum. ADVERTISEMENT The LDA chief added that he hoped a final decision would be received in the coming months. 'In relation to judicial reviews, yes, it's a risk, and unfortunately, we have received a judicial review challenge in relation to the planning permission that we have for a large site in South Dublin, Dundrum,' Mr Coleman said. 'The issue for us is obviously not being able to get on with the development of that site. We have a revised planning application that has been lodged for nearly 1,000 homes, and we hope to get a decision on that in the very near future, within the next couple of months. 'The problem is it has delayed delivery of the homes. Those 1000 homes will accommodate approximately 2,500 people. Meanwhile, the chief executive of the Housing Agency, Martin Whelan told the committee that there has been a 'near collapse' of inward investment in the housing market. 'We have seen a near collapse in inward investment into the Irish housing system over the last year, year and a half. That's pronounced in two areas,' Mr Whelan said. In particular, Mr Whelan said the requirements around equity financing is a 'major challenge'. Currently builders are required to pay 25 to 30pc of the cost of a development upfront. This money is then held up for several years until the development is complicated or sold. 'It's a particular challenge given that there is a higher equity requirement in relation to apartment development, and the shortage of that financing is an issue,' Mr Whelan said.
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Government hopes pace of housing announcements increases output
There may be no silver bullet to magically boost housing output, but the Government has certainly accelerated its own output on housing decisions. After a slow start, Minister for Housing James Browne has been making a raft of announcements in an effort to unblock problems and speed up delivery. There is no big bang, but the message now is on a constant flow of weekly actions. All this emphasises the pledge from Mr Browne that the housing crisis is an emergency and is being treated as one. Today brought three changes. Firstly, more powers and a broader remit for the Land Development Agency. Also, emergency legislation to quickly extend rent pressure zones nationwide. And the appointment of the former HSE boss Paul Reid to chair the new planning body, An Coimisiún Pleanála which replaces An Bord Pleanála. This comes on top of extensions to planning permissions, rental reforms, the establishment of the Housing Activation Office and the revised National Planning Framework. Also, there is a push to encourage local authorities to rezone much more land for housing. And there is more to come, with big announcements next month on the National Development Plan and a revamp of the current housing blueprint, Housing for All. In addition, it is clear that a downgrading of apartment standards is being examined to address the viability impasse. No surprise that the Opposition are underwhelmed with this spate of new measures. Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore told the Dáil that the Government may be taking decisions, but she said they were "the wrong ones". Opposition parties have slammed the rental reforms with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald labelling it the "Fianna Fáil rent hike bill". In particular, they have focused on the lack of protection for short-term renters like students who could face repeated rent hikes every time they move. For Mr Browne, it's clear that after a difficult start in the job, he seems to be on surer ground. But all acknowledge that any uptick in supply is some way off. What does success look like? Housing delivery takes years but before then, the direction of travel will be signalled by several strands of data. A Government source suggests that commencement figures are part of this, but they are not the only important piece of data. First up, ministers will be hoping to see a rise in planning permission applications, especially for large developments. Another important measure is how quickly these applications pass through the system. And if they end up in An Coimisiún Pleanála, how quickly are they dealt with. But trickier decisions loom, namely on potential tax breaks to stimulate private sector development. Builders have walked away from big projects citing the impossibility of delivering at a price buyers are willing to pay. Their solution is a tax incentive, perhaps on VAT. The political battlelines on such a measure are clear; Labour leader Ivana Bacik calling them "Bertienomics tax breaks". And there is already resistance within Government with Minster for Finance Paschal Donohoe publicly opposing them. Proponents of the measure in Government, claim these tax incentives would be different - narrowly drawn, time limited and targeted. Ministers know they will be a tough sell, but some believe they are necessary to deliver the big bang to scale up delivery.
