Dublin City Council purchase school for development of housing
By Maurice Garvey
COUNCILLORS have called for a historic area of Drimnagh to be included in a major regeneration plan, after Dublin City Council bought two plots of land in an auction for €1.18 million, including the former Ardscoil Eanna building.
The local authority intend to use the site for housing, and have also lined up a separate proposal for the Department of Housing, for a €30 million development of 100 homes at nearby Lissadel.
Ardscoil Eanna was sold for €830k
DCC successfully bid for the adjoining Crumlin Road properties at the Sherry FitzGerald auction, which extend to a combined area of over an acre.
Located close to Crumlin Children's Hospital, the two lots included Ardscoil Éanna, established in 1939 by Easter Rising prisoner James J O’Byrne, and Margaret Pearse, sister of Patrick Pearse.
Four bidders competed for the school lot before a council representative succeeded with a bid of €830,000 – €235,000 over its €595,000 guide price.
The council also bought the adjoining 0.12 acre green field site after auction for €350,000 – €45,000 below its €395,000 guide price. It is zoned residential
At the recent area committee meeting, DCC Executive Manager Tony Flynn said renewal plans at the adjoining Lissadel are in a “strong place.”
Mr Flynn said: “We have a plan for 100 units. Ardscoil Eanna gives us options in relation to that, and we have a strong submission almost available now to go to the department.
“We are looking for around €30 million to move ahead with that project. That’s good news for Lissadel and those complexes.”
United Left Cllr Pat Dunne said he would like the original building at the site maintained, citing the possibility of a long overdue library in Drimnagh.
“With the continuing problems we are having in nearby Rafters Road and Lissadel, we should see if this could form part of a regeneration in the area,” he said of the plans.
Indepdendent4Change Cllr Paul Hand seconded the need for a library, and supported Dunne’s call for a regeneration of the maisonettes in Lissadel to compliment any development.
Cllr Daithi Doolan, chairperson of Dublin City Council housing committee, welcomed the successful bids.
“This is a great investment and must be developed as a matter of urgency. The area is crying out for social housing, with 3,882 families and individuals on our housing list in Dublin South Central.”
Cllr Doolan also encouraged the city council to “set their sights on acquiring the adjacent site when it becomes available” to provide further homes.
