DUBLIN City Council has vowed to proceed with the regeneration of O’Devaney Gardens after the sites were officially handed back by the developers who pulled out of the project in May.
As part of a deal hammered out during intensive negotiations, the council has been given e1.5 million by developers McNamaras who also agreed to provide to the council with a licence to the designs for the proposed developments.
“It has been agreed that the parties will mutually disengage from the regeneration projects,” a council spokesperson said.
“The City Council has always said that its tenants are its main priority. In that regard a new multidisciplinary team is in place examining all options with regard to the future regeneration of these areas.
“It is intended to bring a report to the council on the options and recommended proposals before the end of this year.”
Local councillor Emer Costello (Lab) called on the Government to build new social housing on the site.
“I welcome the fact that McNamara is now off the pitch and DCC can now come up with alternative solutions to ensure that the residents of O'Devaney have their new homes and new community facilities as quickly as possible,” she said.
“I believe that the Government should put the money into building new social housing on the site while continuing to explore other possibilities for a mixed development of social, affordable and private housing along with the long promised community facilities and infrastructure.”
Minister of State for Housing, Michael Finneran, welcomed the conclusion of the mediation talks and said efforts must now be made to give locals fresh hope for the future of their area.
“There are no winners in this,” the minister said. “The developers and Dublin City Council have committed time, resources and effort to make these projects work but in the context of declining house prices and world-wide restrictions on bank credit it was just not possible to deliver the regeneration schemes in the manner originally intended.
“Most importantly the tenants of O’Devaney Gardens have had their hopes disappointed and every effort must now be made to ensure that alternative, good quality accommodation is found for those households who now wish to move from these estates.”
The news followed hot on the heels of an announcement that a number of notorious empty blocks in O’Devaney Gardens are to be demolished over the coming weeks.
However, the news has been met locally with mixed emotions from residents who had lived for many years in the blocks.
In recent years the four empty blocks became a breeding ground for anti-social behaviour.
Just four weeks ago a vicious riot broke out involving drink-fuelled yobs who had gathered around the vacated blocks.
Uncertainty had surrounded the future of the dilapidated blocks since the collapse of the regeneration project for O’Devaney Gardens in mid-May.
But it was confirmed last week that work to flatten the derelict blocks would get underway immediately.
The demolition will herald the end of an era for many Northsiders who were born and raised in the blocks.
“I spent 51 years in those flats so I’ll be sad to see them go,” Lena Jordan told Northside People.
“My entire history is in those blocks; my parents lived there and so many lovely families were raised in those blocks.
“It’s where I made all my friends.
“Many people don’t realise that because of all the bad publicity O’Devaney gets.”
She added: “My fondest memories are of my time in those blocks so I’ll shed a tear when they are demolished.”
Lena hopes that some good will come of the demolition.
“They had been going downhill slowly but surely over the last few years and they have just been a magnet for trouble,” she explained.
“They were run down and became very unpleasant.”
In a recent survey carried out among residents, an overwhelming number of people living within O’Devaney believed the blocks should be levelled.
According to Cllr Costello, the council needs to ensure that the demolition is carried out in a “safe and swift” manner.
“The blocks are an eyesore and local residents obviously believe the time has come for them to go,” she told Northside People.
“However, it is important that we ensure that once the blocks are demolished that the site does not become a vacuum for even more anti-social behaviour.
“I’ve also raised the concern that the works should be completed as safely and as soon as possible as the blocks could be used for storage by kids in the run up to Halloween and bonfire season.”
She added: “It’s also extremely important that the site is secure at all times.”
The blocks had been originally due to be demolished last July. However, that plan was put on hold as talks with the developers in relation to the regeneration project were prioritised.
A spokesperson for Dublin City Council confirmed that demolition on the blocks will get underway immediately and that the work will take approximately three months to complete.