Connolly calls on DCC to purchase vacant Drake Inn site

Fianna Fáil councillor Keith Connolly has called on Dublin City Council to purchase the Drake Inn site.

The Ballymun-Finglas councillor has written to the Chief Executive of Dublin City Council, requesting that the Council investigate the possibility of purchasing the site with the idea of turning it into housing.

Connolly said the site, which has been vacant for over 15 years, is a “significant eyesore,” in the heart of Finglas village.

Per the Council’s vacant sites register,  €150,500 has been collected as part of legislation surrounding vacant site levies.

DCC has yet to carry out a compulsory purchase order, which Connolly says should be rectified.

“The Drake Inn has been lying idle for more than 15 years and is a major eyesore right in the centre of Finglas Village. This is a prime, centrally located site with full planning permission that could be put to positive use for our community,” he said.

“Having a building of this nature lying idle for so long has a major impact on the village in general, especially for hard-working volunteer groups like Finglas Tidy Towns.”

The councillor says he has called on the Council to “seriously examine,” the possibility of acquiring the property.

“There is a real opportunity here to deliver a development that includes both housing and community facilities in an area that urgently needs both,” he said.

Connolly said acquiring the property could make a dent in the housing crisis at a local level.

“It makes sense for the Council to explore every possible option to bring long-term vacant sites like this back into use for the public good,” he said, noting that the building could also be used for community services.

“I believe the Council should take a proactive approach. This site has sat idle for far too long. It’s time to look at how it can be used to benefit local families and the wider Finglas community,” he added.