St Teresa’s Gardens regeneration at risk following park zoning

Funding for the planned regeneration of St Teresa’s Gardens in Dolphin’s Barn is at risk if councillors do not amend the new Dublin City Development plan on Friday night the Department of Housing has warned.

The dilapidated 1950s estate, one of Dublin’s largest council-flat complexes, has been designated for regeneration with up to 500 new homes proposed. Tenders to construct the first 50 homes, to be used for social housing, are expected to be issued by the end of this year.

However councillors earlier this year voted to zone part of the lands proposed for housing for a public park and sporting facilities. Their decision is expected to be formally confirmed at a meeting to ratify the 2016-2022 development plan tonight.

In a letter to the council's executive housing manager Tony Flynn, seen by The Irish Times, the department said it was aware of the proposal to zone the lands, currently playing fields known as the 'Boy's Brigade' lands, for recreational use, but under the masterplan for the regeneration this part of the site was designated for up to 400 homes.

If this zoning was approved, “it would appear that the masterplan would be compromised along with the delivery of the already approved [50]social housing units” the letter from the department’s social housing capital investment unit” said.

It added that it may be “premature to proceed with the tender for the 50 social units under consideration” and that “most probably a new masterplan would be required”.

If Teresa’s Gardens became the “sole focus” for addressing concerns about the lack of green space in the area “the regeneration process will be put at risk and the critical shortage of new homes in the area will persist, with little or no prospect for alternative provision in the area due to a lack of alternative sites,” the letter warned.

However it concluded, if the council was in a position to proceed as previously planned, the department would “welcome” a submission for funding for the 50 homes.

Local Labour councillor Rebecca Moynihan, said the masterplan was never formally ratified and is now out of date as lands it identifies for a public park are currently occupied by 56 flats which were to be demolished, but have been refurbished at a cost of €50,000-€80,000 per flat.

“It is very unlikely, and would be a waste of money, that these flats will be demolished, while the land we have designated for a park and sports facilities is already green open space, and represents a much better use of the site.”

Two large neighbouring privately-owned former industrial sites, the Bailey Gibson and Player Wills sites, will be developed in the coming years and will have a 10 per cent open space requirement, which combined with the boys brigade lands could make a substantial public and recreational amenity for the area.

“If we acceded to this veiled threat from the department, there will be no park, but if our proposal is accepted there will be a park and still enough zoned land for housing,” Ms Moynihan said.