Two decades late: O’Devaney Gardens’ tortured route to breaking ground

A sign at the southwestern corner of the site of O’Devaney Gardens in Dublin 7 proudly advertises the demolition and redevelopment the 1950s flat complex as a regeneration project to be pursued under the 2000-2006 National Development Plan.

Two decades on and the social housing complex of 278 flats is gone, but has not been replaced, and the sign, baring the slogan “Your Plan, Your Future” now fronts a wasteland of overgrown scrub, burnt fencing, and dumped rubbish.

The demolition and redevelopment of O’Devaney Gardens had been planned since the turn of the century, but was not formally confirmed until 2006, just before the National Development Plan’s term expired, when the then minister of State for housing Noel Ahern confirmed a €180 million public-private partnership (PPP) regeneration.

Later that year developer Bernard McNamara was awarded the PPP contract to redevelop the estate with a mix of more than 800 social, affordable and private homes, along with shops, community facilities and some offices.

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Construction never began, and in 2008, as the property crash took hold, Mr McNamara pulled out of the deal after it became clear the profits from selling apartments would not cover the cost of providing social housing.

By the time the deal had collapsed, most the flats had been emptied and the estate had become a magnet for crime and vandalism. The empty flats were repeatedly set ablaze, so the council decided it had to go ahead with the demolition.

[ O’Devaney Gardens redevelopment to start this month ]

In late 2008 the council developed plans to replace social housing, with commercial and private development to follow later when the market recovered. Construction was due to start in 2011 with the first social houses to be completed by the end of 2012. However, in 2012 it conceded it could not secure the €32 million needed from the Government and shelved the project.

In 2015 the council came up with a new plan to develop the sites for social, affordable and private housing. In January 2017, following two years of negotiations between council officials, the Department of Housing and city councillors, 53 of the 63 city councillors voted in favour of a 50 per cent private, 30 per cent social, and 20 per cent affordable housing mix.

Separately the council decided to build 56 social homes on the edge of the site. Work on these houses and apartments started in 2018 and is nearing completion.

[ O’Devaney Gardens would be built ‘if it wasn’t for people playing politics’ – Micheál Martin ]

In September 2019 the council announced Bartra had put forward the best bid to redevelop O’Devaney Gardens. The following month councillors were asked to approve the project, but deferred their decision to the following month in an effort to secure a better deal with Bartra. The company subsequently furnished councillors with a letter offering to sell 30 per cent of the homes to the council or a nominated housing body for use for a cost-rental scheme and in November the councillors approved the deal.

In September 2021 Bartra secured permission from An Bord Pleanála for more than 1,000 apartments in nine blocks up to 14 storeys tall.

Councillors were in June 2022 told construction would begin on the site by September. However, when work had not started by the beginning of this year, the council’s head of housing, Coilín O’Reilly, said the deal with Bartra would have to be reconsidered if work had not started by the February council meeting, which will be held on Monday.

However, on Friday afternoon it was announced construction would start this month.