14.8 - Vacant Site Levy

The Urban Regeneration and Housing Act, 2015, (as amended) made provision for a vacant site levy to incentivise the development of vacant and under-utilised sites in urban areas for housing and regeneration purposes. The Act enables local authorities to provide a specific objective in their development plan for the development and re-use of vacant sites in specific locations within urban areas where it is considered beneficial towards securing the objectives of the core strategy. The Act sets out two broad categories of vacant land that the levy may apply to:

  • Lands zoned solely or primarily for residential purposes in accordance with Section 10 (2)(a) of The Act.
  • Lands identified with the objective of development and renewal of areas in need of regeneration in accordance with Section 10(2) (h) of The Act.

For the purposes of the Act and the implementation of provisions relating to the vacant site levy, the following comprise lands which are zoned solely or primarily for residential purposes in accordance with Section 10 (2)(a) of The Act:

  • Z1 Sustainable Residential Neighbourhoods - To protect, provide and improve residential amenities.
  • Z2 Residential Neighbourhoods (Conservation Areas) - To protect and/or improve the amenities of residential conservation areas.
  • Z8 Georgian Conservation Areas - To protect the existing architectural and civic design character, and to allow only for limited expansion consistent with the conservation objective.
  • Z10 Inner Suburban and Inner City Sustainable Mixed-Uses - To consolidate and facilitate the development of inner city and inner suburban sites for mixed-uses.
  • Z12 Institutional Land (Future Development Potential) - To ensure existing environmental amenities are protected in the predominantly residential future use of these lands.
  • Residential lands identified in the city’s SDRAs (Z14 zones: To seek the social, economic and physical development and/or regeneration of an area with mixed-use, of which residential would be the predominant use) as these lands are the crucial redevelopment and regeneration areas in the city - see also Chapter 13: Strategic Development and Regeneration Areas and also SDZ Planning Schemes and LAPs where relevant.

Section 10(2)(h) of The Act provides that a development plan shall include objectives for the development and renewal of areas, that are in need of regeneration, in order to prevent: adverse effects on existing amenities in such areas, in particular, as a result of the ruinous or neglected condition of any land; urban blight and decay; anti-social behaviour, or; a shortage of habitable houses or of land suitable for residential use or a mixture of residential and other uses.

In accordance with Section 10(2)(h) of The Act, and for the purpose of implementation of the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 (as amended), the following land-use zoning objectives are identified as they may contain lands in need of regeneration/renewal:

  • Z3 Neighbourhood Centres - To provide for and improve neighbourhood facilities.
  • Z4 Key Urban Villages and Urban Villages - To provide for and improve mixed-services facilities.
  • Z5 City Centre - To consolidate and facilitate the development of the central area, and to identify, reinforce, strengthen and protect its civic design character and dignity.
  • Z6 Employment/Enterprise - To provide for the creation and protection of enterprise and facilitate opportunities for employment creation.
  • Z7 Employment (Heavy) - To provide for the protection and creation of industrial uses, and facilitate opportunities for employment creation including Port Related Activities.