Dublin People - Finglas revamp will go ahead

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Finglas revamp will go ahead

Tuesday, 16 September 2008

Officials at Dublin City Council are adamant that the stalled revamp of Finglas village will go ahead within the planned timeframe.
However, local representatives and traders remain unconvinced and believe that the project has missed out on the economic boom period.
Part of the massive and long-awaited regeneration was shelved in early July and replaced with a scaled down refurbishment project. However, this comes as little consolation to those who had been waiting for the original plan to get underway over the past five years.
According to local councillor Bill Tormey (FG) the future for Finglas village is uncertain.
“The overall redevelopment may not take place now at all,” he told Northside People.
“It’s really very disappointing considering that work was due to get underway this summer.
“The developers have agreed that some elements of the plan will be completed but it remains to be seen what, if any, affect this will have on the village which is struggling to survive as it is.”
Cllr Tormey said that delays in reaching agreement on various aspects of the development contributed to the situation.
“As with most things in life, timing is everything,” he said.
“If an agreement had been reached earlier we wouldn’t have missed out on the building boom.
“Instead, the negotiations were completed when the country went into an economic downturn.
“The climate is all wrong for this regeneration as far as the developers are concerned.”
Cllr Liam Kelly (Ind) also believes the village will now bear the brunt of a missed opportunity in relation to the revamp.
“It’s not looking good,” he admitted.
“It’s hard to see how the village will survive in its current state even if the developer does carry out some refurbishment works.
“It’s very disillusioning considering many people have waited so long for this plan to come to fruition.
“But what can we do? We can’t force the developer to undertake the regeneration when he doesn’t want to do it.”
Cllr Dessie Ellis (SF) was also unconvinced that the village could bounce back from its current state of neglect.
“Obviously whatever works the developer is willing to carry out are to be welcomed but I’m not sure it will be enough to save the village,” he said.
However, officials at Dublin City Council maintained a more positive attitude in relation to the regeneration.
“The Finglas Regeneration Strategy, which was prepared in 2004, is intended to provide a framework for the development of the village over the next 10 to 15 years,” the spokesperson said.
“Since the publication of the strategy, the City Council has dealt with planning applications for nearly 50 per cent of the additional residential units envisaged within the village.
“Approximately one third of these units have already gone to the construction phase.
“While it is understandable that the recent economic downturn will delay the provision of new commercial developments in the village, the expectation is that these will still be constructed within the timeframe of the strategy.”
In a recent interview, David Courtney of Spain Courtney Doyle said they gave the regeneration plan their “best shot”.
“Certainly the economic climate hasn’t helped matters,” he told Northside People.
“We will now work towards the refurbishment [of Finglas Shopping Centre] in a root and branch approach in the coming autumn.
“In the medium term we will revisit the idea of the redevelopment.
“We have a large commitment to the village of Finglas and we have a positive aim of doing what we can for tenants.”

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