Ballymun Shopping Centre site earmarked for housing

A public consultation for a major new development of over 560 homes at the old Ballymun Shopping Centre site will be held in the Axis Centre this afternoon. 

The Land Development Agency will host the consultation today, Wednesday, July 15 from 4–8pm on a proposal that includes a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom homes across three blocks in the centre of Ballymun.

The agency says the 1.89-hectare site could deliver a mix of Cost Rental apartments, a crèche and cultural space that would reinvigorate the town centre.

However, many residents will remember that the shopping centre site has been subject to previous ambitious plans over the years that have failed to materialise.

The LDA’s public information document describes an “emerging vision” for the Silloge Road site that prioritises affordable, energy-efficient homes and improved walking and cycling links to the proposed MetroLink station, which sits immediately to the east of the site.

The scheme is presented as a central piece in ongoing regeneration, with a planned 2,025 sq m of public open space, 1,129 bike spaces and 870 sq m of community, arts and cultural floorspace alongside a crèche designed for about 100 children.

The LDA also intends all 564 units to be delivered as Cost Rental, offering long-term, below-market rents for households earning below certain income thresholds.

The homes will also be BER A-rated to reduce running costs for residents.

The design imagery for the proposals shows three principal blocks ranging from six to 12 storeys, with the tallest element marking the Balbutcher Lane corner and lower elements stepping down towards surrounding streets.

The plans emphasise dual-aspect apartments, universal design units and a podium arrangement for parking intended to free up more of the site for public realm and active uses. Wednesday’s consultation runs alongside a drop-in clinic and the LDA will use the consultation to refine proposals before a planning application is lodged.

The expected timeline envisages a planning submission in Q4 2026, with construction starting in 2028.

The back of Ballymun Shopping Centre in 1971.

However, many in Ballymun will be sceptical about the proposals, as the memory of previous failed plans for the shopping centre site still looms large.

Local councillor Conor Reddy (PBP) voiced concern at the lack of retail space in the plans and described the site as one of the most important regeneration sites in Ballymun.

“The consultation must not be treated as a box-ticking exercise,” he said. “I am strongly encouraging people in Ballymun to engage with this consultation and make their views known.

“This site is too important for local people to be ignored. I really hope the LDA listens to what residents are saying, because the needs of people in Ballymun have been overlooked for far too long.

“Ballymun’s story is a story of broken promises. A new shopping centre was promised before the crash as part of the regeneration but it never materialised. The old shopping centre was once the heartbeat of local life, and it has been sorely missed since it was closed and demolished.”

The shopping centre story stretches back to the Ballymun Masterplan of 1998, which envisaged a new town centre to serve the growing Northside population.

In 2003, Treasury Holdings won planning permission for a very large mixed-use redevelopment – a 170,000 sq m town-centre scheme intended to revamp the existing centre and add new units on about eight extra acres.

That 2003 scheme ran into objections and delays and, although initial planning issues were eventually resolved, by 2006 disputes over land value and contract completion had emerged and work had still not begun.

Plans resurfaced in 2009 when Real Estate Opportunities (REO), whose largest shareholder was Treasury Holdings, announced an ambitious Spring Cross development valued at about €800 million, including hundreds of apartments, extensive retail floorspace, offices and leisure and civic amenities.

However, the global financial collapse followed and within a year REO was reported to owe about €2 billion and in 2012 it ceased trading, leaving insufficient funds even to appoint a liquidator. NAMA subsequently took over the loans tied to the shopping-centre project.

The shopping centre’s fragility became a local crisis when Tesco, the anchor tenant, announced it was leaving. This triggered protests and a campaign to ‘save our shopping centre’ that culminated in a petition of more than 7,500 signatures handed into Dublin City Council.

NAMA held discussions with Dublin City Council but there was no list of prospective tenants for the decaying centre. There has been little tangible progress on replacing the retail heart of Ballymun since then, although pockets of land have been offered for sale and zoning still permits retail use, something Cllr Reddy believes is crucial to any new development.

“Ballymun needs housing, but we also need a real town centre,” he said.

“There is no retail proposed here. No cafés, no restaurants, no butchers, bakers, local shops or services. Nothing to bring life back onto our main street. Nothing to make daily life easier for people, rejuvenate the local economy or create decent jobs.”