Louth Vacant Site Register remains empty since established three years ago

Louth County Council have failed to populate its Vacant Site Register with any vacant properties in the three years since it was established.

As reported by RTE today, Louth is one of three counties to fail to register any vacant properties on a Vacant Site Register.

In January 2020, the then Green Party councillor, Mark Dearey, expressed his disappointment at a Dundalk Municipal District Meeting that there weren't any sites on the register, upon which a levy could be charged.

The following month, at the February Louth County Council meeting, members heard that the Council had identified 65 potential vacant sites that could potentially be added to the Register if all conditions are met.

Councillors were told at the time that a large body of work would need to be completed before a levy could potentially be imposed on any vacant sites, including identifying the ownership of the properties and putting a valuation of each site.

Now, almost 12 months later, Louth County Council's Vacant Site Register remains empty.

In a statement to RTE, Louth County Council said that it had been unable to implement the terms of the legislation, "due to a significant turnover in planning staff in the last 12 months."