Traveller exclusion is ‘deeply disturbing’

the lack of inclusion of the travelling community in the Kylemore Masterplan was described as “deeply disturbing” by Councillor Hazel de Nortúin during a special council meeting.

A meeting was held to agree on the Proposed Variation No. 10 of the Kylemore Masterplan, which aims to deliver more than 22,000 additional units.

Councillor De Nortúin called out the hypocrisy of the exclusion of travellers from the plans as the proposed site sits adjacent to Labre Park.

Residents of Labre Park, Ireland’s oldest traveller accommodation site, which was built in 1967, have been calling for the regeneration of the site since 1996.

Since then, residents and councillors have been met with constant setbacks and delays as Dublin City Council has failed to secure approval for regeneration.

“We can move to develop nearly 5,000 units, while we reject another redevelopment of Labre Park. I just find that extremely uncomfortable.” Cllr De Nortúin told the Committee.

She called on her fellow councillors to help members of the Travelling Community by encouraging the incorporation of Traveller accommodation in new developments.

In response to Cllr De Nortúin’s motion requesting the inclusion of a provision within the Masterplan framework for a dedicated Traveller Group Housing Scheme, DCC said:

“The Motion submitted does not specifically relate to a Proposed Material Alteration that was agreed by members and went on public display and unfortunately is therefore outside the scope of this current stage of the statutory variation process for the Kylemore lands at this point.”

DCC went on to say that the continued development of Labre Park is a core element of the wider regeneration plans for the area and remains a priority for the council.

It was clarified that since 2019, plans have been halted due to “flooding issues, the scale of environmental mitigation required, the associated costs, as well as concerns raised by statutory consultees regarding downstream flood impacts and broader environmental risks.”

Coordinator at Ballyfermot Traveller Action Project, Shay L’Estrange, outlined the timeline of events over the last six years, including the requests that were made into the availability of a DCC flood report,

“We were told that the report would be available within six months, and the decision could be made then for the regeneration of Labre Park to go ahead. That was in October 2020, now we’ve reached in April 2026 and they’re using the same excuse again” he said.

The report, which L’Estrange called “spurious”, was created by DCC to investigate the impact of flooding in Labre Park, which sits near the River Camac. He reported reaction from Labre Park residents following the announcement of the construction of a 15-storey apartment block, saying they were “flabbergasted”,

“They couldn’t believe it was adding an insult to injury, because at the same time, they’ve just been told that Dublin City Council can’t build 12 houses for them on the other side of the road” he said.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme