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A PLAN TO build 1,100 social, and affordable houses on a landbank in Blanchardstown is being hailed as a potential template for a solution to the housing crisis.
However, there are differences over how the land will be used.
Solidarity has published a plan that would see the area turned into Damastown Village. The plan would see the land developed as a mixed community of 1,135 homes, with 50% reserved for social housing for those on the social housing waiting list and homeless families, and the remaining 50% to be offered as part of an affordable mortgage scheme.
Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger says that the plan could change lives. She told the Dáil earlier this month the plan should be built by Fingal County Council.
“Damastown village, if properly planned, with the additional transport infrastructure that Dublin west needs and with dedicated youth facilities and parklands, could transform the lives of thousands of people.
“Only 15% can get a mortgage. What about the other 85%? Why do we hear on Sean O’Rourke’s show that workers in Ballymun can get a mortgage for €170,000 in the Ó Cualann project but the Taoiseach thinks it is affordable for workers in Blanchardstown to pay €315,000? This could resolve that issue for many workers. Will the Taoiseach back the funding of this project and similar projects nationally, given Dublin west is just a microcosm of the national homeless crisis?”
Coppinger went on to say that local authorities should build the houses needed to tackle the country’s problems.
“The State is actually the biggest land hoarder in this country. To hoard land during a housing crisis is akin to hoarding food in a famine. A total of 13 councils did not bother to build a solitary thing in the last two years. Fingal County Council, with which the Taoiseach will be familiar, completed ten homes. Ten homes equates to 0.01% of the number needed for the 8,046 people on its housing list. The Fingal area has 22% of Dublin’s population but 35% of its homeless population, mostly in the Taoiseach’s own constituency and mine, Dublin West.”
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, a TD for the area, called Coppinger’s stance that councils should build homes a “hardline ideological” one.
“Just because social housing or public housing is not built directly by a local authority does not mean that it should not count.
“All of the people moving into that housing know what it is – it is social housing run by the Iveagh Trust, an agency that has been providing housing since before the State was founded. They have secure tenancies and a subsidised rate, but because of the Deputy’s ideology, it does not count. I ask her and her supporters to consider their ideology and adopt the approach my party and the Government adopt.”
The plan
The Solidarity Damastown Village plan would see 75 acres of land in north Blanchardstown turned into 835 4, 3 and 2-bedroom houses and 300 apartments.
The plan is less dense than nearby Cluid housing, with 37 units per hectare, with Solidarity promising a new community.
“We wish to not simply squeeze as many units as possible into this site, but rather to build a new community with all the necessary open space, recreational amenities and community infrastructure, mindful of the impact of the population increase would have on existing and neighbouring communities.”
Solidarity puts the cost of building at around €175 million.
They say that the funding would come from capital investment and affordable mortgage schemes.
“If we agreed a mix of social and affordable of 50:50 and applied this to the entire development the cost would breakdown as €87,068,000 Capital investment and €87,068,000 loan from the Housing Agency for an affordable mortgage scheme.”
Those mortgages would see people in four-bedroom homes paying €797 a month on a 25-year mortgage, a move which would bring €372,996 a year into Fingal’s coffers.
The council, however, has engaged a design team to handle the lands itself. Their plan would deliver roughly the same number of homes, but the move made some councillors fear the land would be sold to private developers.
Plans to develop these lands are underway and a consultant design team have been engaged by the council to prepare a Land Management Plan for these lands which will provide for the optimal layout and future sustainable development of the lands and provide for a mixed tenure residential development with associated community facilities.
“Briefing sessions are being held with local councillors in relation to the development of the Land Management Plan. It is proposed to commence development of these lands late 2018/early 2019 in accordance with the plan.
“The plans for the development of the lands will be brought forward through the council’s normal planning and consultation processes, at which stage the full design of the scheme will be available.”
Local reaction
Locally, councillors are broadly in agreement that building should be done on the lands, but not all agree with the Solidarity plan. Councillors were shown plans on 7 December by the design team and updated on areas affecting the development.
Generally, councillors say the update was positive, but many worry about the housing mix. Green party councillor Roderic O’Gorman said he agreed with Coppinger and Solidarity councillor Matt Waine on the housing mix.
“I am strongly of the view that we need to move away from estates made up for purely private or public housing, and encourage a mix of tenure in all estates. This should be applied on the Damastown lands.
“At the same time, I don’t want to see the wholescale giveaway of publicly owned lands to private developers. The fact that the Government has proposed introducing an affordable mortgage scheme presents a potential option whereby a significant number of the homes were social housing, and the rest could be privately owned, but with residents using an affordable mortgage scheme.
I think, and hope, the council officials understand that if there is a major sell off of a large chunk of the land for purely private housing, there will be resistance across the council.
Independent councillor Tania Doyle said that any move to increase housing stock would be welcome.
“I have been to the forefront in calling for increases to the supply of housing and associated suitable infrastructure. Dublin 15 in particular has been left behind in both. So I will always welcome any increases in the supply of housing stock.”
Fianna Fáil’s Howard Mahony said he fully supported the Fingal plan, while Fine Gael’s Eithne Loftus called the Solidarity plan “half-baked”.
“I am very supportive of Fingal’s plan to develop the Damastown project. The Council are working with a group of specialists to prepare a proper plan for this site – a site that has many issues that need to be evaluated and considered before any development takes place on this site.
I will not be supporting the Socialists half baked presentation.
A further update on the site is due in the new year.
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So why should I who pays for all this have to pay not only for the cost of my house at market rate, but also for the maintenance , the repairs and for the property tax?
If I miss a mortgage payment I can be evicted?
How many social housing tenants are evicted for rent arrears?
Affordable housing for WORKING families yes.
Social tenancies with max 10 year leases yes.
Social housing for life, inheritable via placing children who are not living their on the “rent book” – no.
They already pay a minimal amount. They should be responsible for property tax, maintenance and repairs.
Half-baked, Its an unusual name for a landbank.
@Cantspell Propoorly: it is a free house if you are paying the minuscule rent from the money you get for free and don’t actually earn. Not including working people in council houses here who pay much more rent.
@Cantspell Propoorly: if the “child” is working you have to list them for rent reviews… very few are willing to do this.
@Ronan Sexton: for the millionth time unemployment amongst social housing tenants is circa 7%
I wouldn’t let solidarity plan my 5 year olds upcoming birthday party.
@Uncle Montys Cat: On the plus side they would find someone else besides yourself to pay for the birthday.
@Uncle Montys Cat: BUt I suppose you had no problem letting FG/FF ruin the country and put us in debt for 42% of all EU banking debt?….but hey things are sure to change if you keep voting the same way.
The last thing that plot of land needs is 550 social houses. It’s within a stone’s throw of where the baby and 2 other people were shot a few weeks ago. The surrounding area is already plagued by anti-social behavior, placing another 550 social housing families beside them is asking for trouble.
@Frederick Higginbottom: and to top it off it’s a fu(king dump up that way
Any developments up that way in blanch are a disaster just take tyrlestown for an example was meant to ease the housing crisis a few years ago now Irish people can’t even live in it because of a group of colored teenagers causing mayhem and this will be the exact same
@Kenneth O Brien: like balbrigan
There should be an end put to the practice of both parents looking for their own social house because they can’t get on and live together. The State can’t reasonably be expected to provide two houses to the same family. Also where the Nan is in social housing and the mother presents as homeless sleeping in a car or what have you she should be sent to live with the Nan regardless of how they both feel about it. Needs must and all that.
Bought an apartment 3 years ago lovely area, Cluid housing come along and buy everything thats up for sale(not cheap) stick social welfare tenents into them. Place going to the dogs. Sickens me
@shanekeogh:
FairPlay to Cluid
@Casper: ? Why when everyone else is paying the banks…a$$ hole
@Casper: why is it too much to expect or want people to behave well in a house that is provided for them at a very very reasonable rate? I don’t understand your mindset.
@Jane: very… 30-40 euro a week im payin 10 times that a week
Spent a few days in Longford town visiting relatives….gawd of all mighty,what’s happening there is a national disgrace.
@joe oneill: can you elaborate?
@Jane 3words and you understand my mindset your good, the first comment suggested that the houses were given to welfare recipients and the place is gone to the dogs, I am assuming he means it’s gone to the dogs because he has to live with people on welfare, now your assuming that people on welfare don’t play by the same rules which is very far from the truth, you can have the few from all sections in life that don’t play by the rules, I live in a pretty decent area and there are a few rich fxxkers close by that don’t respect anyone, if your having a problem with anti social behavior report it and stop crying about it or assume its always people on welfare, when your real problem is the fact you have to live with people that get their houses at a way knock down price than you. That’s life
@Casper: no he’s talking about the antisocial behavior of social welfare tenants. This would include the following non-exhaustive list: covering themselves in tattoos (admittedly this goes help identify them if convicted), general menacing behavior, talking loudly, wearing football shirts, drinking excessively, playing thump thump music too loudly late at night, rearing their offspring to be exactly like them, shouting names at JACINTA at said offspring, acting like general yobbos, saying things like “deadly buzz”, interacting with other like minded by saying “alright bud”, waking up at midday, taking the lords name in vain, finishing every sentence with WHA, saying SORRY LOVE when they reach past you to press the lift button Etc. Etc.
@Casper: you’ve posted enough comments for mento understand your mindset.
Why do you assume he said the place is gone to the dogs just because he has to live beside people in social housing? Most of us would assume there are genuine problems for someone to say there area is gone to the dogs.
@Jane:
Thanks Jane I am glad you know my mindset, and your probably aware too that it’s never a totally fixed mindset because I do understand that the cluid model is probably not the best or the fairest to put people that are dysfunctional in areas with people that want a good life and want the best for their families, I wish you well Jane happy new year
@Sean:
Thanks Sean you’ve broadened my mindset a little
@Sean: you got all that from his post.
You’d have no confidence in that not turning into a ghetto
@David Harvey: It has been well proven that is exactly what would happen when such estates are created. The worst areas in the country are all areas of mass council accommodation. It takes decades to address these social issues and in many cases has not happened after half a century. There is a reason for higher homelessness in Blanch as is and it is because there is so much social housing already there. It is also an area with one of the highest levels of early school leaving. It has already got massive amounts of investment in trying to deal with these uneducated adults resulting in it. Social housing has to be integrated to stop families being caught in social issues.
Plus what a terrible name inevitable being known as the village of the damned
@Kal Ipers:
I fully understand the point your making but integrated housing estates don’t necessarily work either.
A member of my family has experienced it (not in Dublin) in what was an estate of some Council, some affordable and private housing (150+ houses in total). Because of problems the people who could afford to move sold their houses but the only available buyer was Council who naturally moved more tenants until their was virtually no private housing. A fair few private landlords but almost all RA.
Social engineering might be a noble exercise but in the end people who can afford it will want to live where they are most comfortable.
@P.J. Nolan: as a category social welfare includes the vulnerable and those that unfortunately can’t work but it also includes a significant percentage of antisocial people. It is one thing if a person buys a house in an integrated estate; it is quite another if that person buys a house in an exclusive estate only to later find that his / her taxes have been spent by the Council on buying up properties in said estate to move in tenants who drag down property values through their behavior and attitudes to the detriment of the hard working original owner who now finds himself or herself forced to sell up at a loss.
Hope it doesn’t turn out like the new estate two mins down the road just past the shanty pub about 20 lovely new houses one or two cars in the garden one Irish family’s the rest non nationals and there social houses
@high ho silver: there isn’t even one Irish family living in there there all black
@Kenneth O Brien: a person with coloured skin can’t be an Irish citizen now?
@Barry Somers: yes of course they can if there born here
Solidarity, the loonies who want to remove the tricolour from government buildings as it may offend non-nationals. It’s difficult to take them seriously even on such an important issue as this.
@Sean @114: the social housing there talking about will all be giving to non nationals it’s happens before recently and it will happen again
@Kenneth O Brien: Do you have proof of that Ken?
And sure Sean, I’d prefer to let the loonies do rather then the guys that bailed out the banks, let corruption run rife in An Gardai and lie through there teeth at election time…..”Not one more red cent to the banks” was it Leo promised?
42% of all EU banking debt you are you kids most pay for, but sure, bet not let “the crazy lefties” do anything.
Got to hand it to you pixies in Ireland….you love making the same mistake over and over again, LOL!!
@Ibhar Mac Suibhne: yes there is proof fingal cc bought 12 houses and gave them all to non nationals there is uproar in blanch over it
It’s only 75 acres. 1100 units is a lot. Any shops, schools, police stations, parks, pitches or is all going to be just houses. Surely we can do better than this.
@prop joe: sadly it’s not, the density they are trying to build nearer to town is shocking. How about offering those who qualify for buying their social house a chance to purchase a house here instead. It’s a win win, as nothing is lost to the social housing stock. The vacated house is renovated and reused. My only reservation is transport system. If you want to create ghettos leave the housing in isolation with no possibility of mixing. That worked for Ballymun and Darndale.
@Melissa O’Callaghan: Ballymun has always had access to more services than most other areas in the country let alone Dublin. There has been good transportation links to the city and it is already close to the city anyway. The towers were award winning designs including underfloor heat and large accommodation.
The facilities in Ballymun were down to the residents and the management of those housed. As families insisted they wanted houses instead they were moved out of the flats and then they housed the people lower on the list that would accept the flats. Most of these people who took them had many social issues and resulted in more costs for less people leading to the deterioration.
The design wasn’t the problem and it had shops, pool, gym, parks, Garda station etc…
@Kal Ipers: you are wrong there. There where no shops near the towers. As soon as you where our of the towers it was a urban waste land. Any place where just high density housing is built with no facilities ends in disaster. There is a perfect location on the docklands to build high density homes. Not in field 10 km away.
@Kal Ipers: That was the design on paper. The reality was very different. The public transport links were terrible. 1 single deck bus an hour. It had a pool and a shopping centre with one supermarket and a few shops, a Garda station. It did not have a church and the schools were minimal. Prefabs for years. All in the center of the estate. I lived beside it and had family live there.
I have no problem with small social housing projects but this idea that people can decide where they will and won’t live is not a runner if you work hard and save for your mortgage then you can have that liberty but if you are dependent on the state to house you then take pot luck and stop whining that your family live in Dublin and you have to move to Donegal . If you then decide that you want to better your self well and good do what the rest of us have to do save and work and educate
It’s my field. It’s my child.I nursed it. I nourished it. I dug the rocks out of it with my bare hands and I made a living thing of it.
Ghetto
I must say when the minister fo housing signs an eviction bill, I wouldn’t hold my breath for much of his support in creating affordable housing.
There’s a grand site on fosters ave with fantastic views over dublin which the council has zoned a halting site!!! This could be used as social housing if the developers don’t beat them to it
@Shane Cormican: thats the thing the halting sites have historically been at the edge where the city meets the countryside. It wasn’t that many decades ago halting sites were in glasnevin. As the suburbs grow the halting sites move back into the countryside cusp. The rezoning has be looked at. There is room to expand and keeping a horse is a luxury that many people pay for in cramped housing or the loss of community owned green spaces.
Leo and Joan defo won’t object to this development in their native D15 it’s far enough away from their leafy castleknock streets,this will make that part of blanch an absolute hole if ìts not that already
@patrickmansfield: that “part” Of Blanch is already a “hole” – this plan is going to make it worse.
@patrickmansfield: Joan the moan lives in Cabra, As for Leo he had some center that drug users attend moved from his neck of the woods to another part of Blanchardstown.
Just have to hire all the builders and relevant workers, pay them the same rate as they’d get in private sector. Then buy all the goods and materials. Who will pay for this? Ah sure that’s not their problem, will leave it to those voted into power to decide and when it’s found unfeasible then they can shout about it.
‘Half-baked’ is an improvement for anything coming from solidarity.
This is nuts of course, a proposal to build a ghetto to create huge social problems for the next generation.
Still, it might gather a load of solidarity voters in one constituency, which could suit somebody.
@John Mulligan: And FG/FF/Labors proposal is??? ….do nothing!
Let’s be clear the councils were entitled to 10% of all housing being built and accepted buy outs rather than housing. That money was meant to be spent on housing and wasn’t. One of the reason was the maintenance running costs couldn’t be afforded as council going forward as it costs more than getting the private landlords to provide the housing. Then once rents got higher due to higher costs social housing rates didn’t match the rent so people could no longer afford to live there. Combined with existing social issues homelessness increased.
Stop selling social housing to residents and when the tenants no longer need a family home move them out. Forget the luxury of claiming the social housing as a home for life and is provided as a necessity that covers you at a moment of need.
People can criticise solidarity. But with regulations and the cost of building and private businesses i.e. Developers simply looking to maximise their return. I think the state should be borrowing the money etc, tender developments out to private builders. Fg say the plans are half baked, fg only plan it appears is to allow the market have its way and unless you are you are 87,000 a year as a single earner , you couldn’t even buy the cheaper possible to construct apartment in Dublin! At 87,000 a year! You hardly need to be a waster to be earning less than that!
Let the Games begin
‘Damastown village, if properly planned, with the additional transport infrastructure that Dublin west needs and with dedicated youth facilities and parklands, could transform the lives of thousands of people.’ LOL they didn’t finish putting the dedicated youth facilities into Ongar and Tyrrelstown and look at the gang issues in those ‘villages’ that have occurred. This plan is to raise the profiles of the politicians involved and NOTHING else.
If you’ve got the land, an energy efficient 3bed house can be built for 25k. Cheaper again if you build in volume. https://m.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/property-mortgages/meet-the-architect-who-built-a-threebedroom-house-for-his-family-for-25000-36180700.html
solidarity need to come out of dublin an odd time and start to think nationally in their planning,social housing in a city like dublin,reportedly booming is difficult to provide,and of course neither govt nor bank nor tenant want or can pay for it,and it appears councilsare hoarding land.Why dont they make these land banks available to local large businesses at reasonable price,and allow these businesses build affordable houses for their workers,which would keep house prices lower,and more houses available for social housing,and these businesses would be more rooted here
Fine Gael are psychopaths.
The housing crisis will be fixed.
By any means necessary.
have your say