Local Authority Serviced Site Scheme Clogherinkoe
Current Schemes
Kildare County Council currently has seven Serviced Sites available in Clogherinkoe, County Kildare. Applications will open at 9.00 am on Thursday 21st November 2024 and will remain open until 12.00 noon on Thursday 19th December 2024.
Sites extend up to approx. 0.13Ha. Each site is fully serviced with access roads, public lighting, mains water and wastewater, ready for you to build your new home.
What is the Serviced Site Scheme?
There is provision under “Housing for All” for Local Authorities to make serviced sites available for sale to eligible purchasers at reduced cost to support self-build home ownership.
It is a priority of the Kildare County Development Plan to provide a model for serviced sites in established rural communities. It is envisaged that this initiative will attract new residents to live in our towns, villages and rural settlements and sustain the communities and economies of these areas.
The Serviced Sites will be available at a discount on the market value of the site for the building of a property for occupation as the principal private residence of the purchaser. The Serviced Sites Scheme is not available to undertakings and/or developers etc. Applicants may only purchase one site under the Serviced Sites Scheme and Kildare County Council will ensure adequate tracking and checking is carried out in this regard.
Under the Serviced Sites Scheme, Local Authorities will make serviced sites available in towns and villages at a discount in the market value, to individual purchasers for the building of their home.
How To Apply
The application process will be via an online platform only. The system will allow for input of all relevant data and uploading of all supporting documentation.
When the Serviced Sites are made available for purchase, they will be advertised in the following places:
- Kildare County Council’s website
- Kildare County Council’s Social Media pages and
- In the Offaly Topic / Leinster Leader newspaper.
The advertisement will include details about the scheme including how and when to apply. Applications will be accepted through an online application portal. On the day the application portal opens, you will first need to register on the portal and then you can proceed to complete the online application form and submit the requested documentation.
Please be aware that applications will be prioritised on a first come first served basis and in line with the Rural Housing Policy of Kildare County Development Plan 2023-2029
Pricing
The Serviced Sites are available at a purchase price of €45,000 each which is 25% below the Market Value.
Successful applicants will be required to pay a minimum deposit of 10% within 1 month of being offered a site and pay the remaining balance when planning permission is granted.
Applicants’ Requirements
Applicants will be required to demonstrate the following:
- Compliance with the Rural Housing Policy of the Kildare County Development Plan 2023-2029.
- Confirmation from a Bank or Financial Institution (including Local Authorities) indicating that they have funds and/or a loan to build their own home.
- Applicant must demonstrate that their tax affairs are in order, through the submission of a tax clearance certificate from Revenue.
- Provide a letter of commitment (signed by the applicant and witnessed by an official of the Local Authority) that they will apply for planning permission for their home within 6 months of being offered a site. Applicants will be required to notify (in writing) the administrator of the scheme in Kildare County Council when they lodge the application.
- Provide a 10% deposit on the site within 1 month of being offered a site and pay the remaining balance when planning permission is granted. If planning is refused, an additional 6 months will be provided, if requested by the applicant.
- If after 12 months from the time a site has been offered, there is no planning permission granted on the site, the deposit will be returned to the applicant and the site will be offered to another applicant.
- Applicants will be expected to complete construction of their home and occupy same within 30 months of being approved for a serviced site or seek the written approval of the Local Authority for any period after that.
- If a house is not occupied within 30 months of being approved for a serviced site, the site must be returned to the Local Authority and a refund will be provided (this may include a case where an applicant has run out of funds to complete the home – the refund will be provided at fair market value based on an independent valuation assessment).
- Temporary or mobile homes will not, under any circumstances, be permitted during the construction phase of the site.
All Affordable Housing queries can be sent to: affordablehousing@kildarecoco.ie
Links
To view our Serviced Site Scheme please click here on Serviced Sites Scheme - Kildare County Council
To view our County Development Plan 2023-2029 for Housing Please Click Here to View Housing County Development Plan
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – SERVICED SITES SCHEME
What is the Serviced Sites Scheme?
There is provision under “Housing for All” for Local Authorities to make serviced sites available for sale to eligible purchasers at reduced cost to support self-build home ownership.
Serviced sites are on a small-scale development, no more than 10 units per hectare. Each site will have access to the public road, an electricity connection, a water connection and a boundary wall/fence provided by the Council. Waste water and surface water drainage, footpaths and lighting will also be provided.
The Serviced Sites will be available at a discount on the market value of the site for the building of a property for occupation as the principal private residence of the purchaser.
Applicants may only purchase one site under the Serviced Sites Scheme and Kildare County Council will ensure adequate tracking and record checking is carried out in this regard.
The Serviced Sites Scheme is not available to undertakings and/or developers etc.
Why is the Serviced Sites Scheme needed?
As an Action of the Kildare County Development Plan 2023-2029, it is a priority of Kildare County Council to provide a model for serviced sites in established rural communities.
Under the Serviced Sites for New Homes, Kildare County Council will make serviced sites available in towns and villages at a discount of the market value, to individual purchasers for the purpose of building their home who comply with the requirements of the adopted County Kildare Serviced Sites Scheme.
Who will manage the Scheme?
The Serviced Sites Scheme will be managed and administered by Kildare County Council.
Who is eligible for the Scheme?
- Applicants will be required to demonstrate, through the submission of comprehensive documentary evidence, compliance with the Rural Housing Policy of the Kildare County Development Plan 2023-2029.
- Applicants must be able to provide confirmation from a bank or financial institution (including Local Authorities) indicating that they have funds and/or a loan to build their own home.
- Applicants will be required to demonstrate that their tax affairs are in order.
What happens if my application is successful?
- Applicants must provide a letter of commitment (signed by the applicant and witnessed by an official of the Local Authority) that they will apply for planning permission for their home within 6 months of being offered a site under the relevant scheme. Applicants will be required to notify (in writing) the administrator of the scheme in Kildare County Council at the time of submitting a planning application and further confirmation when this application has been validated.
- Applicants must provide a 10% deposit on the site within 1 month of being offered a site and pay the remaining balance on the final grant of planning permission. If planning is refused, an additional 6 months will be provided, if requested by the applicant.
- If after 12 months from the time a site has been offered, there is no planning permission granted on the site, the deposit will be returned to the applicant and the site will be offered to another applicant.
- Applicants will be expected to complete construction of their home and occupy same within 30 months of being approved for a serviced site or seek the written approval of the Local Authority for any period after that.
- Having been approved for a serviced site, if a house is not occupied within 30 months from the date of the final grant of planning permission, the site must be returned to the Local Authority and a refund will be provided (this may include a case where an applicant has run out of funds to complete the home – the refund will be provided at fair market value based on an independent valuation assessment).
- Temporary or mobile homes will not, under any circumstances, be permitted during the construction phase of individual sites.
- All purchasers must sign up to a “Serviced Sites Scheme Purchase Agreement” with Kildare County Council, which contains the clawback arrangement, including a charge on the property, which shall be binding on the applicant upon the sale of the site.
What happens if I sell the site after purchasing?
For any Serviced Site transferred to a new site owner from the Council, a ‘Clawback’ will be registered on the property. The ‘clawback’ is a percentage of the sale price of the site value to the local authority. It is required that the applicant(s) will live in the property built on the site for a period of at least 10 years from the date of occupancy of said property. If at any time the applicants sell the property/site, or it ceases to be their principal private residence within 10 years of occupancy of said dwelling, they must reimburse the Council an element of the full value of the discount, as follows:
- Up to 5 years: 100% of the monetary amount of the discount.
- Over 5 years and less than or equal to 10 years: 75% of the monetary amount of the discount.
- Over 10 years: No clawback.
An appropriate agreement must be concluded between Kildare County Council and the applicant, which contains the clawback arrangement, including a charge on the property, which shall be binding on the applicant upon the sale of the site.
Any revenue derived from clawbacks will revert to the Kildare Serviced Site Scheme or any successor to same. The Council may apply some discretion in the applicability of the above rates having regard to the overall market conditions at the time of sale, i.e., the Council will apply the full clawback when the market has risen but may apply a reduction to the clawback percentage where property and site values may have fallen in value.
Where can I buy a Serviced Site?
Serviced sites may, from time to time, be made available for sale by Kildare County Council, under the County Kildare Serviced Sites Scheme in compliance with the County Kildare Development Plan 2023-2029.
Can I buy more than one site?
Applicants may purchase one site only under this scheme regardless of circumstances.
The Scheme is exclusively available to individuals or households for which the property built on the purchased site will be their principal private residence as homeowners. It is not available to undertakings and/or developers, etc.
When will the Serviced Sites be available?
Details of specific Serviced Sites Schemes will be advertised by Kildare County Council on our website, in a local newspaper and on our social media platforms in advance of the opening date for applications, along with a closing date for receipt of applications.
How do I apply for the Scheme?
The application process will be via an online platform only. The system will allow for input of all relevant data and uploading of all supporting documentation.
It should be noted that only complete applications will be allocated an application number and considered a valid application.
How is a decision made on my application for a Serviced Site?
The decision on your application is made by Kildare County Council in accordance with the eligibility criteria set out in the County Kildare Serviced Sites Scheme. Serviced Sites will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Kildare County Council will write to each applicant informing them if they are successful/unsuccessful.
What happens if there is excess demand for the sites?
In scenarios where there is excess demand for a site, all interested applicants will be recorded and the rural housing needs criteria will be evaluated with consideration given in the first instance,
- To those persons who fall within Category A of the Rural Housing Need requirements taking a preference over Category B applicants.
- Applicants who are from or work in the more immediate locality may be treated more favourably than applicants who come from further away or work further away.
- Applicants who have been refused planning permission previously on (1) family lands or (2) other sites may also get priority accordingly.
What information is needed to support my application?
In the online application process, applicants will have to submit a fully completed application form with all declarations completed and submit the following:
Rural Housing Policy
- Proof of compliance with the Rural Housing Policy of the Kildare County Development Plan 2023-2029.
Please refer to the Kildare County Development Plan 2023-2029 for full information click here
Photographic Identification: Any one of the following documents:
- Current Valid Signed Passport
- Current Valid Passport Card
- Current Valid Public Service Card
- Current Valid EU/EEA Driving Licence – must contain photograph (Irish Provisional Licence accepted)
- Current EU National Identity Card
Proof of Current Address: Any one of the following documents:
- Utility Bill e.g., landline telephone (not mobile), gas, electricity, heating, oil, waste collection (where a utility bill is a first bill, a second form of address verification is required) all documents must be dated within the last 6 months.
- Correspondence from a Regulated Financial Institution operating in the Republic of Ireland (Insurance / Assurance Co., Bank, Building Society, Credit Union, Credit Card Company).
- Correspondence from a Government Department / Body.
Proof of PPSN/Tax Registration Number: Any one of the following documents:
- Statement of Liability P21
- Tax Assessment
- Notice of Credits from Revenue
- Letter from Revenue Commissioners addressed to you showing PPSN, employee details from Revenue
- Receipt for social welfare payment
- Letter from Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection addressed to you showing your PPSN
- Medical Card
- Drug Payment Scheme Card
- Payslip
Proof of Funds
Confirmation from Bank or Financial Institution (including Local Authorities) indicating that you have funds and/or a loan to build your own home.
How much of a deposit do I need?
Successful applicants must provide a 10% deposit on the site within 1 month of being offered a site and pay the remaining balance when planning permission is granted.
Tax Clearance
Applicant must demonstrate that their tax affairs are in order, through the submission of a tax clearance certificate from Revenue.
What is meant by market value?
The market value of a property is the price for which the property would be expected to achieve on the open market.
What type of questions am I likely to be asked during the application process?
You will need to provide some information during the application process.
For example:
- Personal details (e.g. your full name, current address, PPSN)
- Eligibility details (e.g. Do you live within 5km of the serviced site?)
- Proof of funding
- Confirmation letter of commitment (signed by the applicant and witnessed by an official of the Local Authority) that they will apply for planning permission for their home within 6 months of being offered a site. Applicants will be required to notify (in writing) the administrator of the scheme in Kildare County Council when they lodge the planning application.
How can I find out more about Serviced Sites Schemes click here
Who do I contact if I have questions about the Scheme?
Email: affordablehousing@kildarecoco.ie
Website: https://kildarecoco.ie/allservices/housing/affordablehousing/servicedsitesreadytobuild/