estateHOMEOWNERS in over 60 unfinished housing estates throughout Mayo will be eligible for a waiver of the €100 household charge, according to Westport based Labour Councillor Keith Martin.

New legislation provides that an owner of residential property which is situated in an unfinished estate is entitled to a waiver from payment of the household charge in respect of that property for that year.

The wavier only, said Councillor Martin, applies to estates where the developer is still in place but is effectively inactive, or where the development has been effectively abandoned and is posing serious problems for residents.

 

A national survey of unfinished housing developments was carried out in 2011 by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, with all unfinished developments examined and categorised along the following lines:

Category 1: the development is still being actively completed by the developer;

Category 2: a receiver has been appointed;

Category 3: a receiver has not been appointed and the developer is still in place but effectively inactive;

Category 4: the development has been effectively abandoned and is posing serious problems for residents.

An owner of a residential property in an unfinished development contained in the list is entitled to a waiver from payment of the household charge in 2012. This prescribed list consists only of developments under categories three and four.

According to Councillor Martin: “A list of such estates has been published by the Department of the Environment which has identified 62 such estates in Mayo.”

The listed estates in some of the larger towns in the county are as follows: Westport - Cedar Park, Cluain Abhain and Sli Na Misean; Castlebar – Carrabeg, Heather Vale, College Woods, Sean Abhain and The Waterway; Ballina - Belleek Manor, Church Manor, Friars Court, Glen Ri, Lansyn, Quignalecka, Quignalecka Apartment and an unnamed estate on Church Road.

A full list of qualifying unfinished estates is available at www.householdcharge.ie.