NEWS that the
regeneration of a decaying Northside flat complex has been given the green
light by An Bord Pleanála has been met with scepticism from disillusioned
residents.
O’Devaney
Gardens, built in the 1950s, was one of a number of social housing schemes in
the city earmarked for redevelopment under a public private partnership between
developers and Dublin City Council.
However, the
deal for the complex was scrapped in May 2008 when developer Bernard McNamara
was forced to pull out of the agreement due to the collapse of the property
market.
Later that year
the local authority said it would rebuild the social housing in the estate. But
it wasn’t until the beginning of August that An Bord Pleanála finally granted
permission for the first phase of the redevelopment.
The work will
include three phases in total over an estimated period of 10 years.
However a council
spokes-man has confirmed that construction work on the scheme will not begin
until late 2014 at the very earliest.
The planning permission gives the go ahead for the
construction of 120 homes, 60 of which will be used to house council tenants.
It’s likely that the remaining 60 units will be offered as private or
affordable housing or a mix of both.
It’s envisaged that when completed the three phases of
development will involve the construction of around 400 houses.
One resident, who did not want to be named, said she had
been in O’Devaney Gardens all her life and moved into her own flat 13 years ago
where she still lives with her two young children.
She is one of about 70 residents who are still living in the
flat complex but have requested a transfer from it.
The vast majority of the former inhabitants have already
been moved out of the flats to temporary accommodation.
She said she does not want to continue to live in the area
because of the prevalence of anti-social behaviour and the high level physical
degradation in the flats themselves.
“Before Christmas St Vincent de Paul went around and handed
everyone one of these meters to test the dampness levels and my flat got the
highest,
? she told Northside People.
“Come winter time it is like we have a leak and there is
water all over the walls. My young one had to run out of her bed one night
because it was soaking wet.
“Both my children have asthma and I have asthma as well. The
television even blew up one day from the water coming down the walls. I want to
move out of here.
“The place is full of drugs. I was born and reared in this
place and I have had four cars stolen. I was coming up the stairs to my flat
one day and I took a big bag of coke off one of the four-year-old kids. Nobody
knew who owned the child and nobody knew who owned the coke either.
“I went out one day to hang out my washing, I was literally
gone two seconds and my washing was burnt on the line. People who I don’t
recognise are walking around here carrying guns and they are not hiding them.
?
Residents told Northside People last week that after years
of broken promises they didn’t believe the first phase of the regeneration will
ever be delivered.
“The conditions up here are horrendous,
? another local said.
“They are burning flats left right and centre and God knows
when they will start on my block. It is just like we are all forgotten about.
“I don’t have any faith in Dublin City Council at all to
carry out the regeneration. I am not hopeful. I don’t want to live back in this
area and I grew up here all my life. I have had enough.
?
Local councillor Christy Bourke (Ind) said some tenants were
disappointed that many of the elements envisaged in the original regeneration
scheme had been omitted from the latest plans.
“In this current plan there will be social housing but maybe
nothing else,
? he said.
“Now you might not have the private sector element
involved. We were hoping to get affordable housing in there under the private
sector, so that local sons or daughters might have been in a position to buy
their first home at an affordable price.
“That is the big let down. The lead balloon is that instead
of getting the full birthday cake the residents are only getting the quarter
slice.
?
Cllr Emer Costello (Lab), who is a member of the O’Devaney
Gardens Regeneration Board, said it was important that the council delivered on
the scheme as soon as possible as residents had been let down so often in the
past.
“The residents are very happy about the plans and this is a
development of far superior quality than what was being originally proposed,
? she
said.
“It is really important that these units are delivered on.
These were people who were promised new homes and promised regeneration and
they bought into the whole PPP process on the understanding that it would
deliver the regeneration in a much more timely way and all they have had is
stalling.
?
Executive manager of Housing Residential Services at Dublin
City Council, Peter Ayton, said it was too early to say when the local
authority would get the money for the project or how much it is going to cost.
“What happens next is that now we have planning permission
we will send that to the design team and they will design out the tender
documents and our quantity surveyors then are going to have to cost it,
? he
said.
Mr Ayton said the council would talk to the Government about
funding after the tenders are submitted.
“We reckon we won’t be going on site there until late 2013
or early 2014 at the earliest,
? he added.