Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I think there is a space for high rise but Dublin is not New York or Chicago. Dublin has a particular historic and cultural aspect to it. Let us not be hypocritical about this. Height increases have nothing to do with housing. Regardless of whether or not they are appropriate for family living, they have nothing to do with housing. It is time we move away from terms like "social and affordable" and begin to use the term "public housing". I do not know whether the Taoiseach got to CHQ to see the exhibition on the Vienna model. What we had there was a creative and innovative use of space and current buildings. It is being presented as a way forward and I think we should look at it. The docklands could be the lead on that. Otherwise we are consigning the docklands to offices, business space and high rise all over the place. The communities there have suffered enough already. I do not know whether the Taoiseach saw the video footage released by the IFI last night.

It showed the demolition of Sheriff Street in the 1980s, with people hoping something better was going to come. I refer to another scheme in the Ballsbridge area. There is a block of, I think, 80 apartments there. They are all being bought up, and for what? To put up 300 buy-to-lets in the area. We are creating a market for a certain kind of people. What we are seeing is increasing land values and then the flipping of sites. We are going against what was agreed in the strategic development zones, SDZs, and I hope what the Taoiseach says, that everything will be reviewed, will come to pass.

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