Penalty warning to owners of derelict properties in Cork towns

Cobh Municipal District Council say levies will be applied next year if owners don’t start renovating

Gentle pressure could be replaces with more direct measures to tackle dereliction in Cobh.

Identified owners of derelict sites/buildings and those soon to be added to the list in the Cobh Municipal District Council area have been warned that they will be hit with a levy on their properties next year if they don’t start renovating them.

The warning has been issued by the area’s municipal district officer, Paraig Lynch, who provided councillors at a recent meeting with the names of properties that are currently on the list and others which may soon be added to it.

At present, the municipal district council is concentrating its efforts in the main towns in its area – Cobh and Carrrigtwohill – but is also looking to villages it controls.

Penalty levies

Mr Lynch told Green Party councillor Alan O’Connor it was only possible to put a penalty levy of 7% of the market value of the property per year on identified owners, and there are cases where the council has been unable to identify some.

“In some cases we are getting engagement of (identified) owners, but if we don’t get engagement we intend to place these levies on them by the end of this year and collect from next year onwards,” Mr Lynch said.

Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry asked Mr Lynch what the council could do in the event of a derelict site with no identified owner.

Mr Lynch said the council could CPO (Compulsory Purchase Order) the site, but only if it had specific plans for its regeneration.

He said he was confident of making progress, especially on some sites in Cobh. “We’re hopeful we can use a bit of gentle pressure,” he added.

At present there are two sites in Cobh’s West Beach currently being treated as ‘Dangerous Structures’ while two sites at the town’s Harbour Row are listed as derelict sites, as well as other single sites in Rushbrooke Links, Westbourne Place and Casement Square.

Mr Lynch said that single sites had also been put on the register at Coolowen, Whitechurch; Bishop’s Island, Watergrasshill and Ballycaskin, Carrignavar.

Formal notices

He added that council officials had also served formal notices to some other property owners that they are to be added to the Derelict Sites Register.

They own properties in West Beach, Cobh; Church Lane, Carrigtwohill and Main Street, Carrigtwohill.

“Following site inspections in Cobh and Carrigtwohill, a number of additional properties have been identified for consideration as Derelict Sites. It is intended to engage with the owners of these properties, where they can be established. While the focus of the Municipal District will initially be on the towns of Cobh and Carrigtwohill, sites in Watergrasshill and Little Island have also been brought to the attention of the Municipal DistrictCouncil and these will be inspected shortly,” Mr Lynch added.