Councils owed millions by developers

THE Southside’s three local authorities have been urged to vigorously pursue developers for tens of millions of euro that they are owed in respect of residential and commercial development levies.

he latest figures from Dublin City Council, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and South Dublin County Council show that they are respectively owed

?¬39.9 million,

?¬29.18 and

?¬28.48 million in unpaid development levies.

In response to a recent question, the city council revealed that the amount of outstanding development levies it is owed increased from e34.2 million at the end of 2010 to

?¬39.9 million at the end of 2011. It said the figures for last year are not yet available.

“Dublin City Council pursues all outstanding balances through enforcement/legal proceedings and through negotiations with the developers in question,

? the council’s response stated.

“To date,

?¬3.4 million has been paid following legal action.

?

Ballyfermot based Sinn Fein activist, Daithi Doolan, said the fact that the council had only been able to collect

?¬3.4 million in unpaid levies was a

“disgrace

?.

Mr Doolan called on the City Manager to draw up a robust action plan in consultation with city councillors to ensure all outstanding levies are paid.

A spokesperson for the city council said it actively pursues unpaid development contributions.

The spokesperson added that apart from the

?¬3.4 million it recovered through legal means last year, it also collected a further

?¬8.5 million. The vast majority of this was collected on phased arrangements negotiated with applicants.

Meanwhile, in response to a question from Cllr Victor Boyhan (Ind), Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Manager Owen Keegan said the local authority was

“vigorously

? pursuing the

?¬29.18 million due.

He revealed that the council had assigned two of its planners to carry out in-depth inspections

“to determine what development has been built on foot of each permission on site

?.

The council also noted that some of its debtors in respect of development levies are in receivership.

Cllr Boyhan (Ind) acknowledged that the council was attempting to pursue the debts, but added that it needed to make the issue a priority because of the vast sums of money involved.

“We need to get money in and I welcome the fact that the council appears to be targeting the issue,

? he stated.

“It is something that we need to keep on top of the council agenda as it is a substantial amount of money,

? he added.

Figures supplied by South Dublin County Council show that the amount of unpaid development levies stood at

?¬28.4 million at the beginning of this year.

Councillors at the local authority voted this month to reduce the rate of new development contributions levied by 33 per cent.

Rathfarnham based councillor Emma Coburn (FG) said the new scheme includes a number of exemptions aimed at supporting small businesses that wish to develop or extend their premises.

“I believe that in reducing these levies we are sending out a strong message that South Dublin County is open for business and investment,

? she said.