Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)

I am raising this issue in relation to the situation in Clongriffin and Belmayne. It is a very large community. The start of development there happened about 20 years ago. Many people moved in there then and started out in their lives. They did not have families at that stage. Since then, they have formed families. Children have been born, grown up and become young adults. Over this time, there has been a huge deficit in the community infrastructure very necessary in any area to ensure it thrives and not just housing. Even though it was initially developed 20 years ago, there was stop-and-start development with the crash. There has been a lot more development in recent years and it is coming close now to being completed, and will be completed over the next number of years.

This is an area with a population of almost 14,000 people. There are 7,600 homes in the current pipeline too, so the population is going to increase significantly. We are talking about the size of a significant town and yet that really important community infrastructure is missing and there is this deficit. I acknowledge that Dublin City Council has recently set up a project office to help bring the area to completion in respect of the facilities needed. These include a new library, indoor sports facilities, community and cultural facilities, a new Garda station, a HSE primary care centre, more sports pitches and all the things to make a decent-sized town thrive. DCC has committed €13 million to ensure there is the necessary completion for the area and that the community infrastructure, which is so important, is also delivered. However, it cannot be delivered by Dublin City Council on its own. A contribution from the Government is needed as well. DCC submitted a very good proposal to the national development plan, which was supported by the local community, local community organisations and local community public representatives, including my constituency colleagues and me. If there is going to be completion in the area and a cohesive community, it is crucial that we get the investment input in the context of the national development plan as well. This is absolutely crucial.

What we are asking as a cross-party group of constituency TDs - this Topical Issue matter was submitted by a couple of my colleagues too, Deputies Naoise Ó Muirí and Barry Heneghan - is that the Government look at this very seriously and make a contribution. We are noting that the area did not get a lot of the development levies planned and envisaged for the area because of changes that happened concerning some of the housing provided, which meant development levies were therefore not required. I am not talking about the recent waiver scheme but about other aspects that had substitute revenues coming from central Government. There was a lot of housing without development levies at all. There is, then, this deficit in funding for infrastructure. I ask the Minister of State to look at this matter urgently. There must be a significant contribution in this regard from the central Government in the national development plan. It is critical we invest in infrastructural and housing, but we must also invest in sustainable, cohesive communities.

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