Plans in place to rejuvenate the social and economic life in Ballyfermot area
DUBLIN South Central councillors are to meet with Dublin City Council’s planning department on January 11, to discuss details of works which aim to rejuvenate social and economic life in Ballyfermot in the coming years.
Two issues within the city council’s Local Planning Work Programme 2016-22, are of huge concern in Dublin 10 - the Local Area Plan for Cherry Orchard, and a high street plan for Ballyfermot.
The Cherry Orchard LAP contains proposals for 2,000 new homes among other infrastructural developments – and should be completed by 2022.
The statutory plan is separate to a €3 million non-statutory plan by DCC’s Cherry Orchard Project Manager David O’Donovan – work of which began last year to deliver a village centre to the area.
Sinn Féin Councillor Daithí Doolan said: “I worked and lobbied to the LAP for Cherry Orchard to be included in the plan. There are about six/seven LAP’s in the city, and they are all time consuming and expensive. But we have to ensure it’s in there and remains a priority.
“We need to ensure it’s not just homes we are putting in, but infrastructure, roads, services, a place where people can live work play and call it home.”
Speaking at a December 13 meeting, Dublin City Council Assistant Chief Executive Richard Shakespeare said the plans are at an early stage, but he will keep councillors updated on schedule of works.
Cllr Doolan said the high street plans presented a great opportunity to counteract the “over proliferation of bookies, chip shops and off-licences in Ballyfermot.”
“We need to be able to move away from that and ensure that we have a high street to be proud of, that serves the people of the area and isn’t just a rat run to Liffey Valley. I’m asking the committee if that is something we can tackle because the over proliferation is a death knell for local businesses and bad for health.”
Cllr Vincent Jackson has long bemoaned a retail mix so poor that “Ballyfermot is like the Las Vegas of Ireland.”
