The deadline of July 31st, 1998, for the completion of developments under the current urban renewal scheme is to be extended to December 31st, 1998, in the case of developments subject to delays outside the control of the developer, according to Mr Bobby Molloy, the Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal.

In order to qualify for the extended deadline, the developer must have had 15 per cent of spending incurred by July 31st, 1997, planning permission must have been applied for by March 1st, 1998, and the relevant local authority must certify that the failure to meet the July deadline was due to reasons outside the control of the developer, including unanticipated delays in obtaining planning permission or a fire certificate, legal proceedings, difficulties in completing acquisition of the site, failure on behalf of the building contractor and archaelogical constraints.