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

The glass bottle site has been at the heart of the Ringsend and Irishtown community for generations, and families from the community worked there for generations. Seven years ago, there was an agreement to develop 350 public homes and 550 affordable homes there. Residents in Ringsend are increasingly frustrated that there are still no homes on that site and it does not look like there will be any homes on it for a number of years to come. The flats in Ringsend are already overcrowded. In some instances, there are three generations of families living in small two-bedroom flats. Families who have neurodiverse children are already struggling in overcrowded housing. The flats, in many cases, have chronic dampness and mould, and overcrowding is only adding to this.

From day one the Irish Glass Bottle Housing Action Group has done fantastic work in campaigning to get housing on this site. Along with my colleague, Councillor Daniel Céitinn, I met the housing group last week and it is furious with the delays that have occurred. The prices being talked about are ranging between €600,000 and €700,000, depending on the size of the unit being built. That is far from affordable. The longer it takes to start building these homes, the higher the costs will be because of building inflation. We need to see movement, therefore; it is the least the residents in Ringsend and Irishtown deserve. We need to see an agreement on the price and we also need to know how the Government will make these homes affordable because €500,000, €600,000 or €700,000 is not affordable to ordinary working families. How will the Government bring the price down?

As my colleague Deputy Ó Broin has said, NAMA will be wound down in 2025. We would ask the Government, along with the Irish Glass Bottle Housing Action Group and residents in Ringsend and Irishtown, to ensure that the 20% stake NAMA has in the glass bottle site is given to Dublin City Council. The council can then use that to nudge the affordability of these homes towards something that is realistic for ordinary families.

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