Project uncertainty leaves residents in Limbo

Dublin People 20 Aug 2011

A NORTHSIDE community has
hit out at the Government for failing to make a definite decision on the future
of a controversial project proposed for their area.

Following intense media
speculation that the Department of Transport is to scrap plans for the DART
Underground project, residents in East Wall have called for the proposal to be
abandoned altogether.

The residents fear they will
be unable to sell their properties with the threat of the project hanging over
them.

Angela Broderick, vice
chairman of the Protect East Wall campaign group, a sub group of East Wall
Residents’ Association, said locals have been left high and dry due to the
uncertainty. They are concerned that this could drag on for years.

“It’s totally unfair,

? Ms
Broderick told Northside People.

“Because the Government
haven’t made a definite decision, it has left us in limbo. I don’t see why we
should be punished like this.

“The expert property witness
we employed stated in evidence at the oral hearing that there would be an
overall devaluation of 10 per cent on property in East Wall if the DART
Underground project went ahead.

“He also stated in evidence
that this would rise to 30 per cent and 50 per cent according to how near the
homes were to the areas affected by the work.

“It is a huge hit for local
residents to take on top of the reduction in house prices anyway.

Ms Broderick said that of
the 1,700 houses in East Wall, around 400 were directly affected and residents
could face the prospect of a 50 per cent reduction in the price of their homes.

She was also critical of the
fact that the residents had to attend an oral hearing knowing that there was a
good possibility that the Government would have to scrap the plan due to the
downturn in the economy.

“The economic situation had
already turned and we still had to go through with the oral hearing which
proved to be a very costly exercise,

? she argued.

“We had to do a lot of
fundraising in the community and the overall cost was $68,000 to fight our
case. This amount does not include the cost to individuals who made submissions
and there were almost 100 submissions from East Wall alone.

The Residents’ Association
was left broke. We are calling on the Government to totally abandon this
project.

In a statement, a
spokeswoman for the Department of Transport said the Government has not made a
decision about any of the major rail projects proposed for Dublin, including
the DART Underground.

“A comprehensive review of
all capital spending is currently underway in all Government departments,
including the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport,

? she told Northside
People.

“Because we do not have the
resources to proceed with every project, and cannot borrow funding with the
markets closed to us, this review will determine which projects and programmes
will be prioritised.

“The final plan will be published as a new National
Development Plan for the period 2012-2017.

“As part of the capital
review, major transport projects such as Metro North, DART Underground and Luas
BXD are being assessed on their potential to stimulate the economy, create jobs
and provide important transport links. But the most important criterion will be
affordability.

The spokeswoman added:

“No
decisions will be made outside of that process and no decision will be taken
before the review concludes.

North inner city ward
councillor Nial Ring (Ind) has described the situation as

“unacceptable

? to the
residents.

“They have organised
themselves and attended and presented at the An Bord Pleanala oral hearing on
the project, as I did myself,

? he stated.

“The question of the
effect of tunnelling on human health, as well as the decision to start the tunnelling
in East Wall, was raised, as were issues such as dust, noise, vibration,
traffic and spoil transport. A major issue was the years of disruption which
would impact on the value and saleability of houses in the area.

“While we all recognise
the economic situation and the need for cutbacks, the problem is that if the
project is deferred then uncertainty will remain and residents will effectively
be left in limbo as regards selling property, as no one would be prepared to
buy a house in an area where there is an overhanging possibility of major
disruption in the future.

Cllr Ring said Minister
Varadkar has a duty to the residents to give them certainty about their future
by either going ahead with the project or abandoning it altogether.

“The people of East Wall
should not be left with this hanging over them for what could be many
years,” he added.

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