Calls to declare a housing emergency
By Laura Lyne
CALLS to increase the amount of housing being built across South Dublin County and to declare the housing crisis a national emergency were made at Monday’s full meeting of South Dublin County Council.
The housing crisis was the main topic of discussion at the meeting, which saw several motions and a report directly related to the development of housing across the county.
As part of the report, it was confirmed that more than 100 rapid unit builds will be included within infill housing sites throughout the county that will be developed by the end of 2017 as part of the €64.7 million allocated to South Dublin County Council as part of the government’s plan to tackle the housing crisis.
The development of rapid-build houses in Poppintree, Ballymun was praised by a number of councillors who visited the site in recent weeks, with the build quality of the homes being highlighted throughout the meeting.
Director of Housing, Social and Community Development Billy Coman said that the rapid-build housing would become cheaper overall to develop and would have the same lifespan of a regular build, and would have a shorter build time of four months instead of 18 months.
A motion presented by People Before Profit councillor Ruth Nolan called on the government to declare a national housing crisis and present a housing programme that would build housing on a mass scale, and was supported unanimously by all councillors who were present at the meeting.
Cllr Nolan noted that declaring the housing crisis a national emergency would grant the government additional funding from the EU to fast track the development of housing.
Independent councillor Paul Gogarty asked that Mayor Sarah Holland meet with the mayors of the other Dublin local authorities to discuss a plan for Dublin, with Mayor Holland agreeing to organise a meeting.
Sinn Féin councillor Maire Devine called the housing crisis a “tsunami of an issue” and asked whether land that was to be used for the development of a new children’s hospital could be considered for a considerable housing development.
Anti Austerity Alliance councillor Mick Murphy said that a development the “scale of Tallaght” with over 1,000 acres of land would be needed.
Calls were also made to consider the Clonburris and Adamstown SDZ as possible solutions to the crisis.
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