New compulsory purchase order laws ‘could reduce CPO by six months' and tackle vacant properties
The Dublin Bay South TD said the current system was 'fragmented, outdated, and overly complex'.
'It causes unnecessary delays, inflates costs and slows down the very projects we urgently need – from new homes to vital infrastructure. That's why I'm introducing this Bill today,' Mr Geoghegan said.
The legislation being brought forward would see clear definitions, timelines, and rules for notices and claims while also introducing advanced compensation payments of at least 90pc of the agreed or estimated value.
There would also be defined time limits for compensation claims.
According to Dublin City Council, the average CPO process takes at least 18 months, something the party's Dublin spokesperson said was 'not compatible' with the challenges the country faces in housing.
'In our bill, we expect that it would deliver it in 12 months. England and Wales, as they've sort of gone through the process, they've actually lowered it even to nine months,' Mr Geoghegan said.
'The CPO process has so many elements to it, and it's providing clear timelines at every element of that process.
'When you're notified that a CPO is going to take place, if you're a prospective landowner, what kind of compensation you're going to receive as a prospective land owner, it's tightening all of that up together so that you have a simpler, less bureaucratic process,' he added.
The legislation is based on recommendations from the Law Reform Commission, which were published in 2023.
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Part of those recommendations was ensuring that those who own the properties under a CPO would get market value for those properties, Mr Geoghegan said.
'One of the things that the Law Reform Commission made clear when they carried out their research and when they published the bill was that they weren't getting into the domain of policy in terms of delivering up land prices below market value.
'You would get market value for the land. That's how it would be measured. That's what the bill would initiate, and would dictate,' he said.
The Fine Gael TD said CPOs would be particularly important in tackling the vacant property crisis in Dublin.
"Recent data shows over 12,000 residential and commercial units lie empty and shockingly, 40pc have been vacant for more than four years.
'These buildings could be transformed into badly needed homes and help make Dublin safer, livelier and more liveable,' Mr Geoghegan said.
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Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
The ‘honest belief' defence in rape cases rewards ignorance and insensitivity
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Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
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Irish Times
4 days ago
- Irish Times
After 20 years of neglect, a notorious Dublin building can finally be brought back to life
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