It has been revealed that there is about €1.3 million owed in respect of vacant sites to South Dublin County Council. The vacant site levy is applied to lands that are left vacant by owners and there are currently 11 sites on the vacant site register in South Dublin County. The levy was set at 3% of the land value up until 2019 and then 7% from 2019 onwards. The figures were revealed as a reply to a question submitted by People Before Profit Councillor Madeleine Johansson.
Cllr Madeleine Johansson commented: “The vacant site levy was supposedly introduced to stop the hoarding of land by charging a fee each year that the site is vacant. It’s clear that the measure has not worked and the fact that there is over a million euros outstanding is simply outrageous. “We are in an ever worsening housing crisis and at the same time we see how greedy landowners can hoard valuable housing land without any repercussions.
“There are too many opportunities for landowners to appeal the levies, and there needs to be substantial change to government policy when it comes to land hoarding.”
