Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Shortall for raising this important housing issue. It is nearly 11 years since the master plan for a new Ballymun was published and the regeneration process began. Since then, the Government has demonstrated strong commitment to the Ballymun Regeneration Project with over €580 million in Exchequer funding devoted to it to date.

It is worth reminding ourselves of the situation which previously existed in Ballymun and which regeneration has sought to address. In the 30 years after the Ballymun estate was constructed, no private housing had been built in the area and no private investment had been made in the town. During the 1990s there were hundreds of vacant flats in Ballymun because people simply did not want to live there. Community facilities in Ballymun either did not exist or were of poor quality.

Against this background the transformation of the Ballymun landscape has been remarkable and has improved the quality of life for many thousands of people in the area. Construction of new housing started in 2000 and since then, more than 1,000 families have moved from the flats into their new homes. At the same time, six of the landmark seven towers have been demolished. Close to half of the original 2,800 flats are either already demolished or under contract to be demolished. In addition to replacement local authority housing, more than 1,400 new private, voluntary and cooperative homes are built or in progress at this stage.

This year a provisional allocation of €45 million has been earmarked for the project. In addition, further specific funding will be identified in Dublin City Council's main social housing allocation to fund de-tenanting associated with its various regeneration projects, including Ballymun.

The regeneration of Ballymun is not just about replacement housing. Building identifiable neighbourhoods with relevant community facilities is a central commitment in the master plan. In that regard, local parks and 12 new playgrounds have been developed as well as neighbourhood centres comprising shops, apartments and community meeting rooms.

A new traditional main street has been developed comprising shops, hotels, a civic centre, a sports and leisure centre and private housing. Planning permission has been granted for a new town centre to replace the shopping centre, and we hope that will start soon. IKEA is to open on 27 July with 500 jobs, and the metro is coming to Ballymun.

Community spirit is thriving in Ballymun and the town is picking up awards for everything from Tidy Towns and Sustainable Energy awards to The Irish Times theatre accolades. The Government is very proud of the progress made to date and my Department is actively working with Ballymun Regeneration Limited and the local authorities to ensure that the regeneration project can be sustained, consolidated and completed, taking account of budgetary circumstances, with a particular focus on achieving best value for money.

The result is that Ballymun is now evolving into a vibrant mixed tenure community, moving from a cycle of dependency to a sustainable community in its own right, but there are major challenges ahead and it is for that reason that I have asked the Ballymun Regeneration Agency, in conjunction with Dublin City and Fingal County Councils, to review the strategic direction of the programme to make sure we are meeting the objectives set having regard to the more difficult economic environment in which we now find ourselves.

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