Ballygall project almost complete

MINISTER for Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly, paid a visit to the Northside last week to have a look at an innovative social housing project for older people.

The 50-unit development at Ballygall Road East is expected to be completed later this month, less than two years after the project began.

The original old folks homes on the site were built by Dublin City Council in 1969 and there were plans to build 83 new high-dependency units on two-thirds of the site in 2008.

However, the economic downturn scuppered the project until a new approach was initiated in 2014.

Fold Ireland, a housing association that originally received planning permission for the project in 2008, revisited the proposal and considered alternatives to regenerate the site.

In partnership with Dublin City Council (DCC), the regeneration project was funded with private finance from Bank of Ireland as well as CALF (Capital Advance Leasing Facility) funding from the Department of the Environment.

This innovative approach is being increasingly used to take pressure off local councils so social housing can be delivered faster and managed more effectively.

And local Hilda Hickey Wrenn (67), who has been living in one of the new units in Ballygall since last March, is one of residents benefiting from it.

Hilda had lived in Cappagh Green, Finglas, for 30 years, where she reared her two children and she’s delighted with her one bedroom apartment.

“I love living in Ballygall Road – it has every shop I could possibly need in the vicinity, great neighbours and there’s a real sense of community here,” she said.

“I know most of my neighbours to see and would stop and have a chat every now and then.”

Head of Housing & Development with Fold Ireland, Tina Donaghy, said the association was delighted with progress made with the regeneration of the housing at Ballygall Road East and explained why they were involved with the project.

“The economic downturn made it extremely difficult for local authorities to meet the demand that exists for social housing,” she said.

“Because of this, housing associations like Fold Ireland needed to work on developing innovative solutions with local councils and the Department of the Environment to meet social housing needs.

“The innovative approach we have taken, whereby local authorities transfer ownership of housing projects to associations, which leverage the projects’ value to access private funds, has proved very successful regarding the regeneration of the housing project here in Glasnevin.”

The one-bed and two-bed modern, fully accessible apartments on the site have access to an adjoining community centre and there are currently 43 residents living in the development.