Council slammed over derelict sites

DUBLIN City Council has been criticised over a number of derelict Northside sites under its control, including land in Smithfield where a used syringe was found amongst illegally dumped rubbish.

The criticism follows the release of details on the sites after a request made by North Inner City election candidate, Ciaran Cuffe (GP), using Access to Information on the Environment regulations.

Information was requested on ten sites in inner city areas including Henrietta Street, Church Street, Arbour Hill, North King Street, Halston Street and Smithfield Terrace.

Eight out of the ten derelict sites that details were requested for were council owned.

In its response the council confirmed there were no plans to develop sites at Henrietta Street, Halston Street and Church Street. The response also reveals that efforts to dispose of the site at Smithfield Terrace where a cafe once operated from had previously failed but it was planned to remarket it at some point in the future.

Mr Cuffe is calling on the council to come up with

“decent uses

? for the sites.

“It comes as no surprise that Dublin City Council controls these sites,

? he said.

“They have a long history of buying up land for ill-conceived road plans. However, I am surprised that they haven’t come up with proposals for their temporary use.

“On one particular council-owned site at Smithfield there was an empty syringe, and piles of rubbish. This site was designated for redevelopment 20 years ago, and yet it is now one of the worst eyesores on the Square.

“If they do anything with these sites it’s creating inappropriate surface car parks. A site fronting onto one of Dublin’s finest Georgian streets – Henrietta Street – is actually being let out by the council for surface car parking. This should not be allowed to happen as the site lies within a designated Architectural Conservation Area.

?

Mr Cuffe called on the council to either come up with

‘decent uses’ for the site or put them on the market.

“Many of the sites could provide affordable homes, right in the heart of the city,

? he concluded.