Towers community gets low-rise homes with high-rise facilities

The first residents of Ballymun towers to get new homes under the £1.5 billion regeneration scheme will receive their keys in less than two weeks. By the end of the year, 120 families are expected to be rehoused.

The residents of Pearse and MacDonagh towers will be given new homes as they become available in phase one of the building programme, a development of 620 houses. Demolition of the towers will take place as each block becomes vacant, probably early next year.

According to Ballymun Regeneration Ltd, the company set up by Dublin Corporation to oversee the programme, a development of 665 houses is awaiting planning permission for phase two and the company is designing phase three.

The regeneration of the area also involves the creation of new social and community facilities, including a Ballymun civic centre, leisure centre and arts and community centre, the focal point of which will be a 200-seat theatre. Planning permission has been granted for a hotel, and a new main street is being built. The developers hope to harness considerable funding from the private sector in terms of commercial developments, which carry significant tax breaks.

Work began on the £40 million civic centre last June, and it is expected to be open by the end of 2002. A proposed Luas line would run through the centre. The main building will be four storeys and contain offices, a creche, meeting rooms and a health centre. There will be space for a pharmacy, shops and a restaurant. A large atrium will contain exhibition space, a coffee shop and a waiting area for healthcare patients. More than half of the office space has been taken by Dublin Corporation for its area-based services as part of its decentralisation plans. A mixed-use five-storey block fronting on to Shangan Road will accommodate more retail space, offices and 47 private apartments.

The regeneration area was not designated a Special Development Zone by the Government, which has proposed the creation of such zonings to deal with the housing crisis. All developments at Ballymun have to go through the normal planning process. Planning permission has, however, been granted for the £10 million leisure complex on the main street. This will include a swimming pool with water chutes and slides, a gym, weights room, health suite, creche and viewing areas, as well as shops, offices, a restaurant and underground parking for about 100 cars. There are also plans for offices, 89 apartments and a roof garden.