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

The old iconic Ballymun shopping centre was the central hub of a thriving and vibrant community. It provided employment and was an important meeting and social gathering place for locals. Its redevelopment was central to the 1997 Ballymun regeneration plan. However, it became an eyesore and a monument to the largest failure of the regeneration project.

The site's redevelopment was beset by problems and delays from the start. It was to be the site of a new town centre and construction was to be begin in 2005, but permission for the development was not awarded until 2009. Work was then scheduled to begin in 2010. Treasury Holdings presented a plan for the shopping centre, under which the new complex was to be the main shopping facility for the suburb’s 18,000 residents. The plan was for the delivery of a development costing €800 million, which was to include an 11-screen cinema, a bowling alley, a public library, a crèche, restaurants and more than 70 shops, offices and apartments.

This regeneration project was never completed due to a lack of investment. In 2013, Ballymun Regeneration Limited, BRL, was wound down. Many community facilities planned for the area were never built and the shopping centre fell into NAMA occupation. The majority of its retailers were gone by 2014. It suffered a major blow when it lost Tesco, its most important tenant. The shopping centre’s derelict and dilapidated outward appearance was disheartening to the locals and an unpleasant site for those passing through Ballymun.

In 2016, Dublin City Council acquired the centre from NAMA under a compulsory purchase order. However, it was not until 2020 that demolition of the former shopping centre finally began. The demolition work was completed late last year.

In accordance with the 2017 Ballymun local area development plan, Dublin City Council has proposed to divide the shopping centre into three separate sites. The council is now the major stakeholder and has a great opportunity to revitalise the centre of Ballymun. Any development on this site should have at its core the idea that the site is crucial to making the area the heart of the community in Ballymun once again. There are plans to incorporate a MetroLink station on the site, but the MetroLink is not expected to be completed until 2034. We hope that that does not change. In the meantime, there are proposals for temporary use, with certain amenities, such as food and craft stalls, at the MetroLink site.

Regarding the other sections of the site, it is proposed to deliver a mix of residential and commercial use in accordance with the local area plan, LAP. It is expected that this will include amenities such as a public house, a children’s play area, a crèche, a gym, a café, shops and so on.

The original social regeneration fund set up by BRL to address community needs amounted to €3.4 million per year. Year on year, however, that amount reduced. It is now just €1.7 million and will be provided by Dublin City Council. We need the Minister of State’s intervention, as this reduction in funding is not sustainable. The fund needs to be restored to its previous level. Otherwise, we will have a collapse in essential community projects.

I am concerned that the site will be left vacant for years. Its development needs to start urgently. The Government needs to be proactive and ensure that the site, which has so much potential, is not left idle, as it was for many years. This is an important and visible site on the Ballymun Road up to the M50. People drive by it. I am sure the Minister of Stare is well aware of it.

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