Further delay of Dominick Street development a major blow to local community- Costello

29 September 2017

by Cllr Joe Costello

Labour spokesperson on Urban Regeneration Joe Costello, has said the announcement  yesterday by Dublin City Council that the regeneration of the old Dominick Street flats in the heart of the City was stalled due to lack of funding is another blow to local residents who have suffered empty promises for the last 20 years.

Mr Costello said:

"It is incredible that a small community living in local authority flats in the heart of the City could have been promised the sun, moon and stars for two decades and are still left with nothing.

"One of the first actions of the new Government was to re-launch the Dominick Street Flats project in June 2016.  The Taoiseach, Minister for Housing and Minister for Finance all swooped on the area with great fanfare and with the good news that work would begin by the autumn of 2016.  Nothing happened.  Further promises were made in 2017 that development was imminent.  Now the local authority is seeking a 50 per cent increase in funding to start the project.  It is not clear when the project will now begin but certainly not in 2017.

"The original decision of the local authority to engage in an ill-fated public private partnership on the regeneration of Dominick Street with Bernard McNamara effectively ended ten years ago.  What other capital city would leave such a prime residential/educational/retail site in the very heart of the city lying idle and neglected for decades?

"Moreover in December 2017 the new cross-city Luas will be up and running and will drive right down the middle of the site. 

"When new homes are so desperately needed it is absolutely essential that work begin immediately on the 72 social housing apartments in the project. 

"The Government must now take firm action and ensure that whatever funding is necessary be made available in the forthcoming budget to enable construction to start without further delay."