Developers may be forced to finish ‘ghost estates’
Existing and planned laws are expected to be used by authorities to help sort out the mess left in ‘ghost estates’ after a Government survey yesterday showed there are now 2,800 incomplete developments around the country.
Government ministers insisted a range of laws along with new legislation would help clean up the half-finished estates plaguing towns and cities.
The 34 city and county councils will also, by the new year, be given handbooks on how to rein in irresponsible developers and activate existing powers to help get estates and services finished.
Of the 180,000 housing units identified in the stalled estates nationwide, one in four, or some 43,000, are either vacant or incomplete. Local authorities will be encouraged to use existing laws to take over bonds or deposits paid over by developers to councils.
These confiscated funds could then be used in order to finish roadworks, landscaping or services on estates.
The Health and Safety Authority are also going to be pushed to ensure that landowners are facing up to their responsibilities towards developments under a Government action plan, especially where the safety of children is concerned.
While local authorities can go to the courts to try and force developers to finish estates, it is expected this approach may be fruitless where builders have little or no funds left.
Instead, a new Government expert group will bring together local authorities, the banking and construction sectors, associated building professionals, as well as NAMA, in a bid to identify how to best finish estates.
Planning Minister Ciaran Cuffe added: “Armed with this clear evidence as to the full extent of what we’re dealing with, we are already initiating an action plan which will address planning, housing, building control and other matters relating to unfinished housing developments.”
Some options which will be considered could include knocking down barely constructed units as well as encouraging banks to put forward funds to help complete near-finished developments.
Figures released in the survey show the extent of the incomplete estates.
Department of Environment inspectors discovered that there were no roads in 1,199 cases, incomplete footpaths in 1,290 cases as well as 3,423 cases of unfinished lighting.
Out of some 5,300 open and green spaces planned in estates, 1,202 were found to be untouched or substantially untouched, the survey noted.
The survey was conducted over the months May to September of this year.
