Councillor Conor Reddy has slammed the government for the deepening crisis in housing delivery after the collapse of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Bundle 3 — and warned that over 1,000 social homes planned for Dublin North West are now under threat across Bundles 3, 4, 5 and 7.
The People Before Profit Ballymun-Finglas Councillor condemned Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for “publicly bickering over costs and responsibility for failure while communities are left in limbo”, saying the government’s commitment to PPPs has resulted in years of waste, delay and missed opportunities.
“This is a damning indictment of the PPP model. These homes were years in the making and some were due to start within weeks.
“Instead, communities in Ballymun, Finglas and Whitehall are back at square one, and for what? Because the government outsourced public need to private profit and lost control of delivery.”
Bundle 3 included 93 homes on Shangan Road in Ballymun and 83 on Collins Avenue in Whitehall.
Developments that had planning permission and were due to begin imminently.
But the Department of Housing pulled funding at the last moment, citing cost concerns.
It follows cuts to other schemes like tenant-in-situ and void refurbishments, throwing the government’s entire housing strategy into chaos.
Reddy said the impact is “not isolated”, but affects over 1,000 homes in Dublin North West that span Bundles 3 through 7, with major developments in Ballymun, Finglas, Whitehall and Santry now in doubt.
Meanwhile, housing need continues to skyrocket. New council figures show:
6,905 households are on housing or transfer lists across Dublin North West
Over 2,500 are waiting on 1-bed homes, mostly older people and single adults
Over 1,100 families need 3-bed or larger homes
“Dublin North West has some of the highest levels of housing need in the city but the slowest rate of delivery,” Reddy said.
“The collapse of PPPs threatens to make an already dire situation even worse.
“What’s being proposed doesn’t even match the basic size needs of families — and now most of it may never be built.”
Reddy said PPPs have been exposed for what they are: costly, complex and slow. With cost estimates of up to €1.2 million per home, the government now admits they are not value for money.
“This isn’t just about mismanagement,it’s about ideology. The entire PPP model is rooted in the belief that the private market can solve public problems.
“That neoliberal dogma has failed again and again, in health, in housing, and now in our own communities.
“Communities like Ballymun and Finglas have waited long enough.
“We need direct public delivery not more outsourcing to speculative consortia. That means properly funding our councils and creating a state construction company to build at scale and speed.”
Cllr Reddy confirmed he will seek a full report at the next North West Area Committee on all PPP sites in Bundles 3 to 7 and demand immediate alternative plans for their delivery.
Cllr Reddy will also submit an emergency motion for this Tuesday’s NW Area Committee meeting, co-sponsored by Progressive Alliance Councillors in the North West Area, which will demand a meeting with the Minister for Housing, DNW TDs, Council officials and NW area councillors on social housing delivery in the area.