No 'low-hanging fruit' to address Dublin's social housing shortages
The Housing Committee will discuss urban regeneration through the repair of run-down buildings, leasing properties, bringing vacant homes into use and compulsory purchases of private property. Photo: Larry Cummins
There is no "low-hanging fruit" to address social housing shortages in the capital, Dublin City Council will tell an Oireachtas committee today.
The Housing Committee will discuss urban regeneration through the repair of run-down buildings, leasing properties, bringing vacant homes into use and compulsory purchases of private property.
In his opening statement, the council's Deputy Chief Executive Richard Shakespeare will say the idea that there are 30,000 vacant buildings in the capital is wrong. He will point to research carried out in 2017, which, he says, shows the reality of identifying vacant homes across four Dublin electoral divisions.
"A total of 213 potentially vacant homes were identified. Of those, just 49 were confirmed as vacant by neighbours or non-occupants, with 16 being confirmed as vacant long-term.
"Further research was then conducted to consult both Dublin City Council and public sources of data to assess the suitability and eligibility of these 16 homes for the incentive schemes. Of these 16, 13 were determined unsuitable for either of the incentive schemes, leaving three homes remaining that may be suitable."
Mr Shakespeare will say the survey was used to "form a realistic view of what is long-term residential vacancy and helped diffuse the assumptions that there were over 30,000-plus vacant units in the city, as per Central Statistics Office data".
"Survey results show Dublin's vacancy is nuanced and often conflated with availability and non-occupancy. For example, a property can be 'vacant' in the sense that no one appears to be living there, but upon investigation across a range of sources is actually found to be occupied and 'in use'.
"In short, this survey research shows that there is no low-hanging fruit for residential dwellings in Dublin that are vacant and are available for use as social homes."
He will tell the committee that by 2028, Dublin must provide for an increase in population of approximately 35,000 people and that 17 development zones have been identified, including the City Edge collaboration with South Dublin County Council.
The area spans 700 hectares between the Naas Road, Ballymount and Park West and is envisaged to deliver 40,000 homes, 75-85,000 people and 65-75,000 jobs. He will add that around €170 million will be spent on regenerating the north and south inner city.
Orla Murphy, Assistant Professor at the UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environment Policy, will tell the committee that powers to purchase lands and buildings are not being used enough.
"We should be actively implementing existing compulsory purchase order and levy powers. But unless we also understand our towns and cities at a granular scale, as well as the macro forces that continue to shape them, and can benchmark them, both in time and space, relative to one another, we will remain unable to imagine to them as they could be."
Design agency Anois will also give evidence to the committee, with director Frank O'Connor's submission saying that "the most destructive myth in Ireland is that our constitution protects private property above all else, when it clearly states that private property rights ought to be regulated by principles of social justice and common good".
