Anger as tenants not able to move into homes due to services hold up
By Maurice Garvey
TENANTS have not been able to move into the new Co-Operative development of 72 homes in Cherry Orchard Park over the last month as planned due to a hold up in services provision.
Last month, Dublin City Council said up to 40 units were ready for letting at the end of April, with the remaining 32 homes ready for letting in late May.
The development in Cherry Orchard
However, DCC say they have encountered a delay with regard to a road opening and the units will not be ready as early as predicted.
At an area committee meeting recently, Dublin City Council said they were working on arriving at a full agreement with utility providers.
The Echo understands tenants could be delayed moving into the new three-bed homes by a few months.
Sinn Féin Councillor Daithí Doolan alleges ESB are “holding up” the project and expressed fears that the Elmdale development of 52 homes – due to commence in November – could also be hit with delays.
“It’s ridiculous. I wrote to the ESB, they could have opened it in five days. This project is not a state secret. Dublin City Council have done their job and now we are stumbling yet again. It’s similar to the rapid builds, this time it’s ESB, last time it was Irish Water, but the city council will get the blame.”
Cllr Doolan continued: “There is frustration. Some of the new tenants are homeless, some are living in overcrowded conditions, and it would also free up other houses on the list. ESB are operating on a different planet. No sense of co-ordination or panic. I’ve every confidence the right person could get it sorted in a matter of weeks.”
Wholly inadequate
A spokesperson for ESB told The Echo a crew investigated the ducting works at the site and found them “wholly inadequate” and a matter for the developer.
The ESB spokesperson said: “We continue to prioritise all rapid build sites in the city and make them the highest priority. In this case, a crew visited the site (Cherry Orchard) to inspect ducting work, required to make a connection, and found it wholly inadequate. We are working with the developer to make remediate changes.”
The Echo tried to contact Co-Op Housing after office hours on Wednesday, but could not reach anyone prior to going to print.
Nominations continue to be forwarded to the Co-Op Housing team from DCC’s waiting lists for selection and interview until all the units have been allocated.
DCC’s Ballyfermot area office is collaborating with Co-Op Housing to hold information sessions with new residents and local organisations MABS, Citizens Information, and Ballyfermot/Chapelizod Partnership.
Work on the €15 million social housing development started in 2016.
Meanwhile, the rapid build development of 53 homes in Elmdale is on schedule for completion in November 2018, according to the city council.
The development – located on HSE lands behind Cherry Orchard Hospital – will contain a mixture of three-bed and two-bed two units.
