Leitrim 'still has huge issues with unfinished estates' and works could run into 'millions'

The issues of unfinished housing estates and CPOs (compulsory purchase orders) was discussed that Leitrim County Council's budget meeting which was adopted recently with the head of finance revealing that unfinished estate will be tackled though funding from the capital investment programme. 

Referring to unfinished housing estates, Cllr Brendan Barry noted that the budget was "expected to be the same as this year. We still have huge issues with unfinished estates and works needing to be carried out running into the millions in some cases. The minister is saying there are no funds for unfinished estates and it is up to the local authority and members if they are going to take these estates in charge and carry out these works but there is no possible way the council could get the kind of money to finish these estates. It's disappointing and it would be good if we could keep pressure on the minister to set up a special fund for unfinished estates."

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Vincent Dwyer, head of finance, said that the council's Capital Investment Programme includes a provision for unfinished estates for the next three to four years. "The cost of remediation of those estates is built into the capital investment programme."

Recent statistics on dereliction showed that Leitrim has not use Compulsory Purchase Orders to secure the ownership of derelict buildings in towns and villages and Cllr Gary Prior asked: "As part of the dereliction problems we have in our towns and communities, is it envisaged that they may increase in the calendar year?

In April 2023, each local authority was given a target for the number of vacant and derelict properties to enter the CPO Activation Programme and for the number of compulsory acquisitions to be undertaken.

It includes the use of compulsory purchase powers under the Derelict Sites Act and the Housing Act, when engagement with the owners of these properties is not successful in bringing them back into use.

Head of housing, Mary Quinn replied: "We have a number of mechanisms to try tackle derelictions so we would expect we'd see an increase in CPOs."