Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Housing for All plan mentions regeneration 29 times. The plan mentions urban regeneration but does not mention the regeneration of flat complexes within that context. There is no big plan for flat regeneration, which in many ways is the Cinderella of housing. We need an acceptance that there is an issue beyond patching up a few leaks in the roof. Regeneration of flat complexes like Pearse House, Glover’s Court, not too far from here, Rathmines Avenue flats, and flat complexes in Ringsend needs to be fast-tracked. Indeed, I cannot think of one flat complex that does not need a complete regeneration. Even the new York Street apartments, which are just 12 years old and won awards for their design when they were first built, are infested with rats and have ongoing flooding and other maintenance issues because of the neglect. One resident has been flooded seven times and is living in constant fear of it happening again.

The conditions people are expected to live in are unacceptable in this day and age. The tenement-like conditions of flat complexes are as a result of the buildings' age and neglect and cannot be allowed to continue. There is rat infestation, raw sewage, electrical issues and severe dampness, which often makes clothes unwearable and, in some cases, rooms uninhabitable. Residents feel neglected by Dublin City Council and residents in Dublin's inner city feel the architecture they live in is more appreciated than they are as a community. Residents living in Mercer House, Markievicz House or Pearse House believe there is greater concern for the buildings they live in than there is for the living conditions they have to put up with daily.

These complexes were originally, probably, the first Housing for All plan, which was at a time when the State was broke. The construction of these flat complexes showed great foresight by the State and the investment is now needed in the regeneration of flat complexes. If Dublin City Council was a private landlord, it could be brought to an independent arbitrator. That is not the case as the council is judge and jury and it has failed residents. The Government now needs to intervene.

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