Government inaction on common areas “leaving people in lurch”, says O’Callaghan

Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan has accused Government of “inaction” when comes to taking over common areas.

The Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson said that as a result of Government not being proactive on the issue, residents in new developments are waiting “years” for common areas to be taken over by local authorities.

“It can take years and even decades for public spaces in newer developments to be taken over by the Council. This can result in serious problems when it comes to the maintenance of roads, footpaths, lighting and open spaces,” he said.

He said in some cases, certain residents are being charged twice for maintaining public areas through Local Property Tax and Management Company fees, which led to him calling the practice “unfair and unacceptable.”

“This issue could have been dealt with in the new Planning and Development Bill. This week, I put forward a series of amendments to the legislation that would have put in place time limits for local authorities to take these areas in charge,” he said.

“Incredibly, the Government voted down these common sense amendments. Instead of resolving what is an obvious issue, they seem determined to leave residents of new developments in the lurch.”

“It beggars belief that this Government continue to vote down straightforward solutions to problems that cause huge amounts of unnecessary stress. What is the point of legislative scrutiny if the Government refuses to change bad plans?”