No social housing accord struck in Killiney hotel works

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has said it is "not unduly concerned" that it has not reached agreement on the provision of affordable housing as part of planning permission granted to redevelop the former Killiney Court Hotel.

The council said it was aware An Bord Pleanála had specified that such an agreement should be made between the council and the developers within eight weeks of the granting of planning permission, which was given on March 11th last.

A spokesman for the council's planning department said non-compliance with the condition would not invalidate the permission, and that development work could proceed at the former hotel.

He said non-compliance would involve the issuing of an enforcement notice by the council's housing department. The housing department is responsible for negotiating the transfer of social and affordable homes from the developer of the former landmark hotel, which overlooks Killiney Bay.

However, a spokesman for the housing department told The Irish Times that the council was "not unduly concerned about the lack of agreement to date".

The spokesman stressed that negotiations were ongoing and he reiterated that an enforcement notice would only be issued in the event of ongoing talks failing to reach agreement.

In a separate response to questions tabled by Labour's Cllr Carrie Smyth, the council also revealed that since the introduction of Part V of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 - the legal measure which requires developers to provide up to 20 per cent of developments for social and affordable housing - no units have been provided by any developer.

The council also revealed that no financial contribution in lieu of the provision of such new homes had been received by the council.

It also said that no sites or land had been transferred to the council under Part V.

The council told Cllr Smyth that three "provisional agreements" had been reached under Part V for provision of 121 social or affordable homes at Sandyford, and 18 at Stepaside, as well as for a three-bay halting site at Gort Mhuire, Ballinteer.

According to the council, however, it "has no control over when a development may start and consequently no control over delivery of units".

The council added that it should be noted that if agreement could not be reached, there was provision to refer the matter to arbitration.