Report finds no proof of hoarding

THE long-awaited Goodbody’s report on alleged land hoarding published yesterday found there was no evidence of this practice in three specific areas studied.

Goodbody Economic Consultants were commissioned by the Department of the Environment to see if there was any evidence of land hoarding among builders nationwide.

The Department of the Environment is considering bringing in the ‘Use it or Lose it’ scheme whereby developers would lose the zoning on their land for housing if they did not build on it within two years.

But the Goodbody report is drawing its conclusions from only three case studies - two of them in Dublin. An extensive study of all the landowners nationwide to determine if there was hoarding would have taken considerable time, Goodbody Economic Consultants managing director Bernard Feeney conceded.

In the three areas studied - Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown, Fingal and Ennis - there was no evidence of land hoarding by developers, Mr Feeney said.

In Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown, the study found 94% of zoned and serviced land was being put forward for planning.

But the Goodbody study did find one builder in that area had control over a significant proportion of the lands, but had yet to bring a scheme through the planning process.

Goodbody Economic Consultants recommended local authorities should only consider bringing in a Use it or Lose it scheme if:

Evidence was found that over 25% of serviced land in a council area was not being put up for planning

The demand far outstripped the need for housing in any one area

There is evidence of substantial house price inflation.