Contained below is a summary of the main law reform currently being advanced by the Northern Ireland Executive (and Assembly) around Dilapidations / derelict / neglected sites & buildings.

Key Reform: The Dilapidation Bill

The principal legislative development is the Dilapidation Bill, which has been approved by the NI Executive (5 June 2025) and is now progressing through the Assembly.

Below are the main features, objectives, and issues of that Bill (as introduced) and the surrounding legal context:

Objectives & Rationale

• The Bill aims to provide a modern, consistent, Northern Ireland–wide enforcement regime for dealing with dilapidated, dangerous buildings and neglected sites.
• It seeks to give district councils a clearer “toolkit” of powers (notices, entry, enforcement) analogous to what exists in England & Wales, and to strengthen cost-recovery mechanisms so that councils can more viably carry out works.
• It proposes to consolidate or supersede certain older statutory provisions (e.g. under the Pollution Control & Local Government (NI) Order 1978) and local “local acts” that address dereliction or ruinous buildings.
• The Bill also embeds a hierarchy of notice types (maintenance notices, dilapidation notices, dangerous structure notices, immediate action) depending on severity.
• It provides for appeals, offences and penalties, powers of entry, requirements for information from owners/occupiers, and binding obligations for those with financial or other interests in property (e.g. mortgagees).
• The Bill also intends to include protections for heritage or listed buildings (e.g. consultation with planning / heritage bodies) so that heritage interests are taken into account.

Key Provisions in the Bill (as introduced)

Some of the clauses / features to note:

Also, Schedule 1 deals with the details of fixed penalty notices; Schedule 2 lists the legislation to be repealed.

Interaction with Existing NI Legislation

• Under current NI law, councils already have powers under Part 7 of the Clean Neighbourhoods & Environment Act (NI) 2011 to inspect suspected statutory nuisances and serve abatement or remedial notices.
• Also, Article 65 and Article 66 of the Pollution Control & Local Government (NI) Order 1978 permit action in limited circumstances (e.g. ruinous or dilapidated buildings “seriously detrimental to the amenities of a neighbourhood”).
• However, those regimes are seen as narrow, old, inconsistent across districts, and poorly suited to tackling modern problems of building neglect, safety risks, visual blight, etc.
• The Bill intends to consolidate, modernise, and in many cases replace or enhance those older powers.

Status, Timeline & Consultation

• The Bill passed the “Second Stage” in the Assembly on 1 July 2025 and now moves to Committee stage for more detailed scrutiny.
• A public consultation / stakeholder feedback phase is open (or was scheduled) via the NI Assembly Citizen Space portal, seeking views on the objectives, proposals, and impacts.
• The Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (AERA) is the designated committee for scrutinising the Bill.
• The Bill is expected to be refined via amendments, and its final shape may differ from the version introduced.

Current Debated Issues / Points of Note

• The balance between giving councils enforcement powers and safeguarding property-owner rights (including due process, appeals) is under scrutiny.
• The scope of works that can be required (from tidying, repairs, to demolition) is broad and may be contested in terms of proportionality.
• The ability to recover costs, particularly from financial interest holders (e.g. mortgagees) is an important change, but may face resistance.
• Treatment of heritage / listed buildings — ensuring that the regime does not unduly endanger heritage — is built into the Bill, but the details will be important.
• The level of penalties (criminal, fixed penalty) and effective enforcement resourcing (i.e. whether councils will have capacity) are practical concerns.
• The Bill does not impose new duties on councils to act; rather it gives them optional discretionary powers.
• There is no discrete funding in the Bill to back the new powers; the cost recovery provisions are integral to making it viable.

In short: the principal dilapidations law reform under active consideration is the Dilapidation Bill, which would greatly expand and modernise the statutory powers of district councils in Northern Ireland to tackle neglected, dilapidated, or dangerous buildings and land, improve cost recovery mechanisms, introduce more tailored notice regimes, and update or replace older legislation.

Here’s a list of 10 unusual but relevant powers proposed under the Northern Ireland Dilapidation Bill that go beyond traditional “repair or demolition” notices, showing how it’s a step-change in tackling dereliction:

These powers collectively shift the regime from reactive to proactive, give councils more enforcement teeth, and expand the liability net beyond traditional owners—making it unusual compared to older NI legislation or even comparable English powers.

Here’s a Top 5 of the most controversial or likely challenged powers in the NI Dilapidation Bill, along with why they might face legal or political pushback:

These powers are likely to generate debate because they broaden the enforcement reach, introduce financial or criminal consequences, and create obligations affecting third parties—not just the direct property owner.

Below a visual “heat map” diagram showing which powers are high-risk vs low-risk for each stakeholder—this is often easier for boards, legal teams, or councils to digest.