LIMERICK City and County Council (LCCC) spent €821,378 in the Derelict Site Programme in 2022 and earned revenue of €1.3 million, excluding staff payroll costs.
This was the response to a question from Fine Gael councillor Adam Teskey at the May meeting of the Adare-Rathkeale Municipal District. Cllr Teskey had asked the executive how much it has spent on accruing compulsory purchased property across the city and county, and the revenue raised from sale of these properties.
“As the acquisition and subsequent disposal of derelict sites often spans more than one financial year, they are accounted for in the Capital Account, the complete analysis cannot be seen in one specific year, as has been requested by Cllr Teskey,” Head of Property Management Services Jayne Leahy explained.
According to Ms Leahy, the Derelict Site Programme, as operated by LCCC, is one of the most successful programmes nationally. Since 2019 to the end of February 2023, 4,721 site inspections were carried out and 1,856 notices were served under the Derelict Sites Act, 1990.
“While some properties do end up being vested in the council, many properties are refurbished by their original owners once contact has been made.
“All income achieved from the disposal of these properties is used to fund costs of acquisition and compensation payments, with any surplus ring-fenced to continue the work against dereliction,” she concluded.
