GALWAY City Council has  confirmed that no funds have been collected from the €171,850 in derelict site levies imposed this year, despite a record rise in the number of vacant and neglected properties recorded across the city.

Figures released this week to the Galway City Tribune show that six properties were levied in 2025, with a further €3,500 outstanding from an earlier case.

However, the Council confirmed that no payments have been received to date on any of these charges.

“Derelict levies were raised on six properties in 2025 totalling €171,850,” said a spokesperson for the Council.

“There are existing levies due on one property in the amount of €3,500. No payment has been received on any of these levies to date.”

The latest Derelict Sites Register, published this month, lists 84 properties, up from 28 in March, representing more than a threefold increase.

The Council confirmed that a further 129 potential sites are currently under review for possible inclusion on the register.

However, communications with property owners stay confidential until the Council finds that a site meets the legal definition of dereliction.

The expanded register includes a mix of residential, commercial and institutional buildings, with several high-value properties now officially designated as derelict.

Among them are properties on Dalysfort Road, Salthill, valued at €850,000, Glenard Avenue in Salthill (€750,000), Letteragh Raod (€500,000), Whitestrand Road (€475,000), Sandyview Drive, Riverside (€425,000) and College Road (€300,000).

Commercial and landmark properties have also been added, including the former Paddy Fahy’s Bar on Bohermore, the Burren Mount Hotel in Salthill, the former Nurses’ Building at UHG, and Spire House on Shantalla Road. Several dockside sites linked to Born Footwear and Narm Developments are also featured.

Under the Derelict Sites Act 1990, the Council can impose an annual levy of 7% of a property’s market value on any building or land considered neglected or ruinous.

Unpaid levies gain interest at 1.25% per month and, in theory, can be pursued through the courts or by compulsory purchase.

A Council spokesperson said valuations are typically carried out later in the year, after properties have been added to the register and owners notified of the works needed to remediate the dereliction.

“We normally get valuations done in the third quarter and issue Section 22 Notices up to mid-November to allow sufficient time for the property to be remediated before becoming liable for the levy,” the Council said.

Properties that are repaired or brought back into use within the same year they are listed are not liable for the charge to encourage swift remediation.

Despite this, enforcement is still a challenge.

Some properties on the register have their owners listed as ‘unknown’, complicating recovery efforts and slowing the process of bringing derelict sites back into productive use.

The surge in listings follows a commitment earlier this year by the Council to take stronger action on long-term vacancy and neglected buildings.

At the end of 2024, just 11 sites were listed, rising to 28 in early 2025 before jumping past 80 by October – the most comprehensive update in years.

The timing coincides with a national policy change. The Government has announced plans to replace the local derelict sites levy with a new national derelict property tax, which will be collected by the Revenue Commissioners.

“No formal notification has been received on this issue to date,” the Council said.

“On the face of it, it would appear this would be a potential loss of revenue to local authorities, but until the legislation is published, we won’t know the full impact.”

■ Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.