Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Dublin city councillors recently voted in favour of a Part 8 development of 70 apartments on 1 ha of land at the front of Scribblestown estate, which is located on the Ratoath Road to Finglas. The latter is a road with which the Minister of State is probably familiar. This is a public private partnership development which will see six sites - across five local authority areas - being developed. The numerous issues which we face in housing can only be solved by supply and there is no disagreement on that, but the placing of this development causes me disquiet and I strongly believe that the area needs serious commitments in respect of facilities to match the development.

The Dublin city development plan outlines that Dublin City Council must ensure that all large developments are delivered in tandem with access to "essential infrastructure, such as transport, schools, childcare facilities, health facilities and recreational facilities." Looking at transport in particular, the figures are confusing as to why this site was selected. The nearest public transport is a bus route a 600 m walk away. It should be borne in mind that this is an entirely social development and that there is no provision for car parking or at least not for every apartment. It is confusing why people are expected to walk 600 m. The new Luas extension was given as one reason for why the site was chosen but it is located 1.5 km away. When representations were made to Dublin Bus that Finglas South and Finglas West - and Scribblestown within that - to the Luas line in Broombridge, a straightforward and modest request, the company agreed. The matter has been resting with the National Transport Authority, NTA, for several months. The Luas line has been opened but there has been no movement.

The new primary school provided for Scribblestown by the Department of Education and Skills was not built in the catchment area. It is not in Finglas or Scribblestown but in Broombridge which, as I said, has no transport links with Finglas or Scribblestown whatsoever. That is incredible. We are putting people in more social housing without giving them the wraparound services or facilities that they need. Having grown up in an entirely social housing development in Ballymun, I can say that it was and is a good community and a good area but one which was not provided with the services it needed, which gave rise to the troubles that plagued the area during the 1980s and 1990s. It is clear that mistakes have been made in the past and that lessons were learned but they seem to have been forgotten in the context of this development in Scribblestown.

Will the Minister of State give a commitment from the Department that if this public private partnership development goes ahead, he will lobby other Ministers, Departments and the NTA to ensure the provision of the basic services this area needs. There is not even a footpath leading to the Scribblestown estate on one side of the road. This is incredible in Dublin city, and now we are adding another 70 apartments to the front of the estate, which was originally built as an affordable housing scheme when Fianna Fáil was in government. We obviously need more affordable housing schemes.

I look forward to seeing the Government's plans on that in due course. These people in Scribblestown understandably feel somewhat shafted because when they bought their houses as an affordable housing scheme they were told this site at the front was going to be developed as a community centre but it is being used for apartments, without any of the services initially promised and no sign of that community centre whatsoever. I would appreciate a commitment from the Minister of State that he will advocate proper transport links, proper schooling and health care facilities in the area. The primary care centre for Finglas was promised in 2011 but is nowhere in sight. No site has been found. Apparently a site cannot be found yet 1 ha of land was suddenly discovered when it came to housing. I would appreciate the Minister of State's comments and commitments on this. Perhaps he could point Dublin City Council formally towards developing a local area plan which is sorely needed for Finglas.

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