Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to discuss the availability of Fingal County Council lands in Dunsink Lane for social and affordable housing and the positive effects that this would deliver and ask why we have sat on these lands for so many years when there is such a crisis in housing. For many years, I have been concerned at Fingal County Council's lack of action in regard to Dunsink Lane and have raised it consistently. There are approximately 1,000 acres of land in this environ, 300 acres of which is owned by Fingal County Council, 200 acres is part of the old tip head and 150 acres takes in Dunsink Observatory and surrounding lands. The rest is privately owned.

Fingal County Council is currently conducting an overall study of this area which is included in its development plan. There is potential to build between 4,500 and 12,000 social and affordable housing units on these lands, depending on density. One benefit of developing this area is that it is virtually a greenfield site, of which we do not have many, with a number of Traveller-specific accommodation units contained within it which can also be enhanced, delivering a decent quality of life to all in an inclusive way.

The city centre is only 4 km away. Dunsink Lane also contains vital road links between Finglas and Castleknock. The new Luas is located nearby at Broombridge. Dunsink Observatory and Elmfield golf course are currently not accessible from Finglas as a massive concrete block has been placed across the road, something that should never have happened. This ought to be removed immediately, with a new road built and a new bridge to accommodate it.

Other local amenities and advantages include its proximity to the M50 and to the Royal Canal, allowing the extension of the cycling area. It would also provide access to the Phoenix Park and the Tolka Valley Park, a beautiful new park, which runs alongside the River Tolka on the other side of where this proposed development would be located. Blanchardstown shopping centre and industrial parks also border on this area.

It is an area that has been neglected for many years. It unquestionably has great potential and would make a considerable dent in resolving the housing crisis. It would also help to alleviate the considerable traffic congestion between Finglas and Cabra and between Castleknock and Finglas. The blocking-off of that road has been an ongoing problem for many years, and has proved disastrous for the whole area. Traffic lines up from Broombridge right into Finglas and a similar problem arises on the other side, at the Cabra end.

This proposed project needs resources and a will to deliver them. There are considerable advantages in doing this. The land belongs to the local authority, Fingal, and if we ever needed a project capable of delivering large numbers of social and affordable housing units, this is it and this is the place where it can be delivered. For many of my childhood years, I lived in this lane and played in these fields.

It is a massive place with beautiful surroundings. It has huge potential and I ask the Minister of State to talk to Fingal County Council to see whether we can get a project and money and see whether it is deliverable.

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