Ballymun regeneration fund cut not acceptable, says TD Ellis

More funding is needed to sustainably redevelop the old Ballymun Shopping Centre site, says local TD Dessie Ellis.

Deputy Ellis was speaking in the Dail earlier this month after it was revealed that the social regeneration fund for the area has been cut from €3.4 million to €1.7 million per year.

“The old iconic Ballymun shopping centre was the central hub of a thriving and vibrant community,” he said during his speech.

“The shopping centre provided employment and was an important meeting place for locals.

“The redevelopment of the shopping centre was central to the 1997 Ballymun regeneration plan.

“However, it became an eyesore and a visible monument to the biggest failure of the Regeneration Project.

“The redevelopment of the site was beset by problems and delays from the start.

“It was to be the site of a new town centre and construction was originally to begin in 2005, but permission for development wasn’t awarded until 2009.

“Work was then scheduled to begin in 2010.”

However, the redevelopment never began and plans were shelved in 2013 due to a lack of investment.

“Many community facilities planned for the area were never built and the shopping centre fell into Nama occupation,” he said.

“A majority of the retailers in the shopping centre had left by 2014.

“It suffered a major blow when it lost Tesco, its most important tenant.”

In 2016, Dublin City Council purchased the centre from NAMA and completed its demolition in 2021.

In accordance with the Ballymun Local Area Plan 2017, the council have proposed dividing the land into a number of sites, which includes the temporary instalment of food and craft stalls before the planned metrolink site is developed.

“This will also expected to include amenities such as a public house, a children’s play area, a crèche, gym, café, shops, and so on,” Ellis said.

“For the other section of the site, it is proposed to deliver a mix of residential and commercial use in accordance with the LAP.

“At present the social regeneration fund set up by BRL to address community needs was €3.4m per year but has now been reduced to €1.7m and is now provided by DCC,” he says.

Deputy Ellis said that the reduction in funding is “not sustainable” and the fund “needs to be restores to previous levels otherwise we will have the collapse of an essential community project.”

Ellis says that he is concerned the site will be left vacant “for years” if adequate resources are not made available.

“There is a real urgency to start to develop this site and  the government needs to be proactive in ensuring that this site, which has so much potential, is not left idle as it has been for so many years.”