578 public homes in St Michael’s Estate will be ‘transformative’, says local councillor

The proposed development of 578 public homes in St. Michael’s Estate will be transformative for people in Dublin 8, said Labour Councillor Darragh Moriarty.

Welcoming the formal lodging of planning for the regeneration of St. Michael’s Estate, Moriarty said projects like St. Michael’s will be vital in giving people an opportunity to live in their own community.

The scheme, which is a flagship public housing development led by Dublin City Council, will be a mixture of 70 percent cost-rental and 30 percent social housing.

The scheme will provide a mix of studios (110), 1-bed (172), 2-bed (250) and 3-bed (46) homes.

The mixed-use development will also deliver a new library for Inchicore, a new community hub, creche facility, supermarket and other commercial units, as well retain the existing community sports centre.

Speaking on the proposals, Cllr. Moriarty said: “These are exactly the type of public housing development the city and country needs if we are going to get ourselves out of the current housing crisis we find ourselves in.

“It has taken us a long time to get here and there are incredibly active, hard-working and dedicated community activists who deserve huge credit for staying with this project literally for decades.

“They have pushed and pushed to get us to this point and deserve huge credit for the delivery of these homes.”

Moriarty says the development should alleviate the thousands of people currently on the housing list in the area.

“There are concerns locally that the development will see 49 percent of homes delivered as either studios or 1-beds, but at the moment if you look at our Dublin City Council housing waiting lists, there are over 14,000 people waiting on a home, with nearly 9,000 of those waiting on 1-bed accommodation.

“It’s clear where the pressure on our housing system is and the types of units we are sorely lacking at the moment.

“I don’t think I’d go as far as 49% being studio or 1-bed, but we certainly need to move towards better catering and providing that type of accommodation.

“We need to ensure that there is an adequate mix of supply that reflects the need in local communities. We need to make sure that single people, young and old, have the opportunity to live side by side in their community with families.”

Moriarty says that the scheme “isn’t perfect” and tweaks will be made, “but ultimately we need to see more houses being built and the delivery of 578 public homes is a win.”

“The affordability of the rents will be key in the delivery of the homes.

“We are all aware of the impact of soaring inflation on the construction sector. There must be a commitment that rents will be genuinely affordable for people, particularly in terms of cost-rental.”