‘Why are we taking this little postage stamp away?’
CONTENTIOUS plans for an older persons’ housing development in Pearse Brothers Park, Ballyboden, were approved at Monday’s monthly meeting of South Dublin County Council.
The vote on the ten-unit social housing project had been deferred at last month’s council meeting, however the plans were approved this week with 28 councillors voting in favour, six against and two abstained.
Ahead of the vote, several councillors voiced concerns about the loss of green space as a result of the development, while others supported the development as a means to address the need for housing.
Cllr Ronan McMahon (Ind) said he was “totally against” the development and said the council “shouldn’t be taking away green space from existing communities”, while Cllr Lynn McCrave (FG) voted against the plans and asked “why are we taking this little postage stamp [of green space] away from a community?”
Similarly, Cllr Alan Hayes (Ind) expressed concerns about “removing postage stamps [of green space] from people’s communities”, however he voted in favour because “this is about providing housing in a housing emergency”.
Cllr Suzanne McEneaney (GP) voted in favour as she concluded that “the need for age-friendly housing is greater” than the need for a green space at the site of the proposed development.
Cllr Ed O’Brien (FF) said that age-friendly developments “should be within the community, rather than on the periphery…that makes the location of it appropriate” and the development won’t “completely erode” the green space in that area.
Another issue which was voiced by councillors was the apparent concentration of social housing in particular areas of the county, as at last month’s council meeting similar developments in Clondalkin and Tallaght were approved without deferral.
Residents playing bingo on the site for the development
There was a view by some councillors that social housing developments are heavily weighted in Tallaght and Clondalkin compared to the rest of the county.
Cllr Joanna Tuffy (Lab) said that she was voting in favour of the plans, and added: “If we were to do an analysis of where social housing is built it’ll be heavily weighted in Clondalkin and Tallaght and that’s not fair.”
According to Cllr Carly Bailey (SD) there is a need for future infill housing developments “to be spread equitably across the county”, while Cllr Louise Dunne (SF) said she “totally agreed” with Cllr Tuffy’s views, and said there was “a huge amount of NIMBYism” behind residents’ campaigns.
Cllr Deirdre O’Donovan (FF), who voted in favour, said that “local residents are entitled to have campaigns.”
The plans have been a point of contention as residents of Pearse Brothers Park claim they will be left with 4.1 per cent of green space after the development is constructed, while Colm Ward from South Dublin County Council said at this week’s council meeting that approximately 40 per cent of green space will remain.
Local resident Denise Parkin previously told The Echo that the site of the development is “the only viable green space in the area, there is another green near the entrance to the estate but it’s not safe.”
Speaking at this week’s council meeting, Colm Ward said “the very essence” of age-friendly developments “is about trying to find appropriate places for older people to live independently for longer in existing communities.”
The commencement of the tender processes for the design/build contract for the development are expected to take place in the coming months, while construction is expected to start in late 2022.
