Cork City Council owed more than €5m by owners of derelict sites

Less than a third of the levies imposed on Cork city’s derelict sites have been paid since 2020, new figures show.

And while there is now more than €5m outstanding, it has been confirmed that this money will not be chased after the Revenue Commissioners take over its collection in 2027.

So far this year, a total of €1,169,935 has been levied with just €376,388 paid, figures provided by Cork City Council show.

From the start of 2020 to the end of 2024, a total of €6,042,179 was levied but just €1,637,589 was paid.

With the addition of the 2025 year-to-date figures, there was €7,212,114 levied in the last six years, but just 28%, or just over €2m, has been paid, and €5.1m remains outstanding.

TRIPLE

A spokesperson for Cork City Council said that working with property owners, outside of the levies, has seen the number of sites returned to use annually more than triple, with 229 properties returned to use in 2024, and this figure has already been surpassed in 2025.

Currently there are 159 sites on the Derelict Sites Register with a significant number of other sites under investigation. This has more than doubled since 2023.

Sinn Féin councillor Michelle Gould said: “It is so frustrating to see all of this money remain uncollected."

She added: "I understand that Cork City Council is outperforming every single other Council but less than a third of those levied have actually paid in the last five years.

“Constituents have come to me because they’ve struggled with paying parking fines or other payments to the council because of the cost-of-living crisis. They weren’t given an option to not pay.” 

It comes as housing minister James Browne said in the Dáil recently that the derelict property tax announced in Budget 2026 will, when it comes into effect, replace the derelict site levy and be collected by the Revenue Commissioners.

“Derelict site levies that remain outstanding when the new tax is introduced will remain as a charge on the properties concerned and remain the responsibility of each local authority to collect,” he added.

Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould added that Revenue won’t start collecting levies until 2027.

“The Minister confirmed this week that when Revenue take over the Derelict Sites Tax, they won’t be collecting the levies currently owed. He won’t provide Councils with any additional funding to collect the remaining levies.

“Cork City Council should be fully resourced to collect the remaining levies. No-one who leaves a home or building to rot should be allowed to get away with this.”