Progress made on plans to build 176 houses on Sons of Providence site

SUBSTANTIAL progress has been made over plans for a proposed social housing site at Sons of Divine Providence (SDP) in Ballyfermot, according to Dublin City Council.

Complex legal issues have delayed a process to build 176 homes on the site.

The main stakeholders for the development are Dublin City Council in partnership with SDP.

Other bodies involved are the Dept. of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), who approved €67m in funding last year for the construction of 176 units at the 1.5 hectare site, which is bounded by Sarsfield Road, First Avenue, Sarsfield House and Long Meadows pitch and putt grounds in Ballyfermot.

At the Dublin South Central area meeting this week, Cllr Daithí Doolan (SF) asked for a detailed update on the project and sought confirmation when the development group will meet again.

In response, Dublin City Council, said they and the SDP and DHLGH have been engaging to finalise a development agreement to move this project forward.

“The last meeting which took place in April 2023, highlighted a number of matters to be resolved which required significant input from a number of DCC technical departments,” said a city council spokesperson.

“Substantial progress has been made on matters regarding site access, the application of the appropriate funding mechanisms and the planning route to deliver this scheme. This development agreement will include a title exchange and draft terms are due to be exchanged shortly. It is expected that this project can proceed to Stage 2 once this is complete. The Sarsfield Road Working Group will be reconvened at this point.”

Under the partnership scheme, DCC would own 116 and SDP 60 of the proposed dwellings.