Number of vacant houses in estates sparks outrage
By Aimee Walsh
MANY vacant houses and dwellings spotted in local housing estates have sparked outrage for a local resident.
Fettercairn resident Julieann Kelly said she spotted 11 vacant houses and dwellings across four Tallaght housing estates within her 5km whilst out for a walk. Julieann said that the vacant properties are either council or housing association dwellings.
There are 43 vacant council properties in the Tallaght area
The 11 houses were seen across Kilmartin Park, Brookview Road and Court, Rossfield Grove, Park and Green, and Russell Walk according to Julieann.
“I basically walked out of my house and walked in the front of the estates. I did not even go into the estates.
“If you go around Tallaght there are houses boarded up left right and centre. They can be council houses, or they can be housing association. They are boarded up, and they are boarded up long-term.
“In that small area that I walked, 11 houses is too much. They said in November there was 41 vacant houses, Tallaght is huge if I find 11 in one small area it just does not make sense.” Said Julieann.
In a statement to The Echo, South Dublin County Council said that at present, there are 43 properties in the Tallaght area. 12 of these are ready for allocation, 12 have works ongoing and 19 are at the tender stage.
The council said: “12 of these properties are ready for allocation and are in the process of being tenanted through Choice Based Letting or other allocations processes and are anticipated to be occupied imminently while the remainder of the properties are at various stages of refurbishment or procurement depending on the nature and level of works required.
“The refurbishment and allocation of vacant housing stock remains a priority under the Level 5 Covid 19 emergency measures to ensure that as many social homes as possible are made available to qualified households.”
Julieann is also a member of March for Justice Ireland, a committee that highlights widespread issues across the country, including homelessness.
“We deal with the homeless quite a lot. There is emergency accommodation which is not suitable at the moment. Where are these people meant to go? You get the figures that the homeless crisis is down 61% but that’s emergency accommodation. There are people on the streets.
“You just have to walk around. Even Tallaght, if you go to the garage in Jobstown and there are homeless people sitting outside, literally every night.
“We are very committed to raising awareness of the homeless situation, it is a homeless pandemic at the moment.
“The council, the corporation, the housing association they need to pull their finger out and do something and solve this now. They need to open hostels, open suitable accommodation. 41 houses in Tallaght. How many are there in the rest of Dublin? They could fill the housing list and home all the homeless with the vacant properties throughout Ireland.”
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