Unpaid Development Levies Prompts Legal Action

Dublin City Council has launched legal proceedings against scores of property developers, who failed to pay levies.

Twenty sets of legal proceedings have been initiated, with 50 warning letters dispatched to builders who did not pay the council for the cost of providing water, roads and sewerage to their developments.

Dublin City Manager John Tierney released details of the issue in a letter to auditors, the contents of which were provided during a monthly meeting of councillors.


It was claimed there were flaws in the accounting system and inconsistencies in the database relating to the levies.

A new accounting system will be implemented by the end of this year, Mr Tierney told auditors.

City management also told auditors it was seeking recommendations on how to improve the public private tendering process, after five major regeneration agreements, backed by developer Bernard McNamara, fell through earlier this year.

Each residential unit built in Dublin incurs a €13,200 levy, subsequently, a 500 apartment development would mean a €6.6m charge imposed on builders.

(PR/JM)