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PROTESTERS FROM ACROSS Dublin have banded together to challenge Dublin City Council’s Housing Land Initiative which they fear doesn’t serve those most in need of housing.
The Housing Land Initiative would see three council owned sites being put up to market.
Although it is not yet known how the sites will be developed, protesters from a number of groups including Dublin 7 Housing Action, St Michael’s Estate Regeneration Campaign, Dublin Central Housing Action and Ballymun-Finglas Housing Action fear that the sites will be used for “private profits for private developers”.
John Bissett, of the St Michael’s Regeneration campaign, claims that the Housing Land Initiative could lead to social injustice. He added:
We’d like to see Dublin City Council build desperately-needed houses for people who desperately need them
Bissett described it as a “real inequality” and said that the people who can’t afford private housing will be pushed down the housing list. “Effectively the state will get poor people off the land and put in mortgage holders,” Bissett claimed.
On Monday evening, a group of approximately 30 to 40 protesters gathered outside the Dublin City Council to voice their concerns about the proposed initiative not serving those on lower incomes.
The Housing Land Initiative wasn’t raised in detail at the Dublin City Council meeting but the protest aimed to highlight the issue.
Workers Party Councillor Éilis Ryan supports the protests. She said:
On reports, it is clear the intention is to give three public sites to private developers. It’s private housing for private profits.
The Workers Party have launched a Solidarity Housing proposal which they believe could be an alternative to the Housing Land Initiative.
The Solidarity Housing proposal plans to develop public housing that would allow people with a range of incomes to live in the one site. Rent would be calculated as 15% of income up to €35,000 and 30% of income over €35,000.
“The Workers Party are calling on the council to rethink constant giveaways to private developers,” said Cllr Ryan.
Where the sites are
O’Devaney Gardens is located west of the city centre off the North Circular Road and close to Phoenix Park. Built in 1954, O’Devaney Gardens originally consisted of 278 residential units of public housing. Of the initial 13 four-storey blocks only four remain.
The 17 hectare site at Oscar Traynor Road is located off Coolock Lane, just over 5km to the north of Dublin city centre. At the moment, it’s an empty field covered in scrub vegetation.
The third site is St Michael’s Estate in Inchicore, 4km west of the city centre. The site is bordered by Emmet Road to the north and by the Grand Canal to the south.
Dublin City Council did not comment on the claims made by the protesters but sent TheJournal.ie a Housing Land Initiative Feasibility Report published in December 2015. It is available to read here.
In the report, it is outlined that there are a number of options for the three sites. When the sites are offered to market, “masterplans” relating to the potential use of the land will also be sent out. However, these plans are described as “indicative rather than statutory”, meaning they’re not required by law.
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Solidarity housing proposal….is there anything in their for people who bought their homes and are crippled with mortgages????
Good attitude. I’m suffering so everyone else should suffer too. That’ll really resolve things.
Just because you have/had a mortgage, it doesn’t mean you’ll never need help with housing in the future. Circumstances change.
And just because you lived in the city growing up – doesn’t mean the taxpayer can afford to buy you another home there in 2016
The Workers’ Party are working on a proposal for transitioning underwater mortgages into social housing with security of tenure.
We need to get rid of social housing for life or at least make the rates paid commensurate with market rates. Plenty of ppl in social homes who could theoretically afford market rates – what of them?
Why does anyone need to pay “market rates”.
Rents are a drag on the economy. They increase the costs of living, and consequently upwards wage pressures while doing nothing to increase the efficiency of the economy at all.
The Irish economy is cyclically drawn back into speculation in an unproductive sector – this needs to end, and people who bolster this drain on peoples livelihoods by recourse to “the market” as if it were somehow a magical principle that improves things need to get in the sea.
Perfect, sell the land and let the developers develop them with private homes, they should be distributed on the basis of who can pay first and if there’s any surplus then perhaps they will consider social housing. Please try and ensure that they don’t end up on Airbnb which is taking nearly 2 thousand properties off the rental market in Dublin.
One word…Gentrification….happening in every major city
Or, as David McWilliams suggests in his INdo article today, use the powers available to government under the Compulsory Purchase Order to take the land Ulster Bank have on the market in Dublin right now, at market value of course, and build like fcuk.
Has anybody driven around Lucan lately, there are three train stations practically unused but have thousands of acres of wasteland around them that are only used by the travellers for hunting rabbits. There is also a new ring road joining up the N7 and the N4 and is easily accessible to the M50 and the luas stop at the red cow. I can’t for the life of me think why there are no houses being built there right now.. Its one of the few places in Dublin that the infrastructure is already in place..
Totally agree Cosmo. The “outter ring road” that joins the N4 and N7 is actually very under used. Lots of green field sites there, however its not going to be cheap buy a house there if they are built.
Gentrification is a great thing Derek, I for one welcome it to every part of the city. Why should the prime areas of a city be reserved for those who are unwilling or unable to pay anything. Put them out where it’s cheaper to house people and leave the market to operate in the city centre locations.
Cosmo, that flood plain is only good for rabbits, are there not enough flooded houses built around there already?
The money the sale of this land provides could build hundreds of social homes outside the city centre. O’devaney gardens for example – practically beside phoenix park, 5 minute walk to the zoo. Cycle to town in 10 mins. I know because I used to live very near it (renting) – that is prime land. Sell it and build more homes. Far too much prime land in the city is council anyway. Dublin 8 is awash with it. What’s down the end of the Guinness tour centre? A halting site. More prime land squandered
As the WP’s proposal demonstrates, it’s entirely financially possible to develop the land through the state in order to provide low-cost high-quality accommodation which would enable a social mix. The strategy of forcing everyone out into the periphery who doesn’t make 70k a year works well for the upper 20%, but the reality is that most of us are by definition not in the upper 20%.
The approach of gentrifying the core, and pushing the majority into the periphery was followed in San Francisco and means that most workers in the city have to commute for ages to get to their jobs, further destroying their quality of life and creating an unnecessary environmental burden to boot.
Forcing single mothers to live in bedroom communities in the periphery so that professionals can enjoy their high-life in the city centre is the kind of social cleansing that I’d hope the 80% who don’t do better by it would oppose. And hopefully some of those in the upper 20% of incomes have some sort of social conscience themselves.
We should be looking to house people on an egalitarian basis giving everyone access to high quality housing.
Great. The Government are creating more homelessness by reducing social housing. Mortgage holders aren’t going to get these. It’ll just go to landlords, non – resident in Ireland if recent years are anything to go by.
I don’t see an issue here at all. There is a massive shortage of family homes in Dublin, as a result, people that bought a small “starter” house or flat in the boom are still stuck there, as there are no larger family homes for them to move into. If larger family homes become available, then some of these smaller (cheaper) homes become available to buy/rent.
People shouldn’t work hard and save for a house, it should be given free by the government.
If you are interested in property Amy I suggest you join with one of the Fiannas. Thanks to a scheme called Nama once you are a member of the party you will be given land to develop at an extremely reduced rate. Do not worry there is no over sight so no one will know…..
You will have to leave your morals at the point you join but you will become very financially successful….
As much as social housing would be great, me and my boyfriend Johnny are looking to invest in property. Apartments in this location would be fabulous.
As your twitter reads, “Law student in Trinity. Strong passion for travelling the world with my other half Johnny.”f
Perfect… We need loads more of your type.
Nope, not buying it. This is just another “Jack Halpin-Doyle” BS Twitter attempt.
Sheesh!!
You lot aren’t very original, are ye!
Still trying with the whole “Ross O’Carroll Kelly” plagerising attempt are we?
@Amy
I’m sure you will find a different location to invest your daddy’s money, Amy
And now let the grown ups have a proper debate about the topic!
Bingo! I couldn’t remember his name earlier, that’s the one. Definitely the same troll
@ John….. I hope you’re not the boyfriend
I’m sure the money raised by the council if they sell off the land to private developers will be ploughed straight back into building houses for people who need them at affordable prices and social housing as well. Not.
Make sure you bring plenty of Stirling over with you. Snort snort
fear that the sites will be used for private profits for private developers”. Yes, I’m sure that developers are just queuing up to build housing estates at a loss.
The state can develop it at cost, and then we don’t need to make the poor developers suffer.
The state has never developed anything at cost…..
Lol the state develops it at cost? Yea, at the cost of the tax payer.
The state developed housing at costs for decades. The WP proposal given above shows how social housing can be entirely self-financing.
I’m not sure why people are so keen on property developers, vulture funds and other financiers getting a cut at their expense.
Maybe if this shower spent the day in work rather than causing a nuisance they could house themselves rather than turn up with the begging bowl and demands on what should should fill said bowl.
Liam so it has nothing to do with the equation you farted on Sunday?
If only the protesters had money to stuff into brown envelopes,they’d probably win!
These are the exact same people that broke this Countries back and where bailed out by Nama. Is it anu wonder some of them where photographed celebrating out in Spain when Nama was officially brought in
Has anybody noticed the artical above. Both this one and that one make reference to the Workers Party.
North Korea eh. Good spot.
Housing homeless is not a priority with any council. They have to generate wealth to pay their salaries. Simple as…
If these groups would just give big Brown Envelopes to the city Manager like developers then they just might stand a chance.
It’s 20 grand for a councillor, probably a bit more for a manager though!
Don’t give in
I feel like this is a precursor to the boom and bust but on steroids.
Speaking to one genius this week who informs me that she and her husband have just bought a house which is to be given to their kids when they turn 18. Which is in 15 years time.
The clever part is that this time they have just bought another house to pay off the mortgage on the first one.
Very concerning … Read the description on the YouTube link and pay particular attention at approx 0.47 seconds – https://youtu.be/huXDlLFQ4Aw
Again, what is the relevance? If you Have a story to make submit it… You might even get paid.
Quango time in ireland again
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