Dáil debates

Tuesday, 20 February 2018

6:35 pm

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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This is a really important issue in the Dublin West and Dublin 15 community. NAMA seems to be allowing whoever owns the land under its jurisdiction to ask the local GAA club to move off that land.

To give the Minister of State a brief background on this particular area, it is one of the most diverse areas in the entire country. It was also one of the worst planned areas in the entire country, thanks to the failure of Fingal County Council and, ultimately, the State, which took the unprecedented decision in the late 1990s to accept money from a developer in lieu of providing open space. When prices of land subsequently crept up during the Celtic tiger years, it was impossible for the local authority to source any land for the local community, leaving a community of more than 2,000 housing units without a blade of grass on which the children could play. It will definitely be an area that will be the subject of a tribunal of some kind in years to come.

Meanwhile, the local community and the GAA club used all their efforts and goodwill to try to create pitches themselves and persuaded the developer, Twinlite Developments, which is also responsible for seeking to evict tenants from its land having sold the houses to a vulture fund, to allow them to use them. They got the council to back it and they raised the money through fundraising events, etc. There is a pitch in front of the local schools and if that pitch is lost to the community, there will be no GAA club in that area; it will be gone. An area cannot have a club if it does not have pitches. They have now been told that they will have an extension for a year. They have a stay of execution for a year, but what will happen next year?

Political decisions have left this community bereft of facilities. I was on the council when a decision was taken by political parties, which are now jumping up and demanding action on this issue, to rezone that piece of land to a local centre, making development of a commercial nature possible on it. That decision should never have been taken, and it should be changed. In terms of what we need now, NAMA needs to be told not to allow any club to be evicted from any land in which it has an interest. It is very clear to people that NAMA only exists to help developers get cleaned up. It is certainly not there to help communities. While we are glad that we have an extension, we also need to make sure that pitches and facilities are provided for the local community.

Twinlite Developments has had its pound of flesh from this area. It sold thousands of houses during the boom and has maintained those homes with people renting them at very generous rents. It is hardly too much to ask it to pass over this piece of land to the local community, which has been left bereft of facilities. The club and the entire community need the support of this House to make sure they get the facilities they so desperately need.

6:45 pm

Photo of Michael D'ArcyMichael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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When I was given this issue, I contacted the Taoiseach and I have been made aware of some of the background to it. It is important to note that NAMA has a commercial remit and a statutory objective to obtain the best achievable return for the taxpayer. However, in the context of its commercial remit and consistent with section 2 of the National Asset Management Act 2009, NAMA is at all times open to considering proposals aimed at contributing to broader social and economic objectives.

I am informed by NAMA that the property in question is controlled by a receiver, Mr. Tom O'Brien of Mazars, with NAMA having a secured interest in the property. As the Deputy will appreciate, receivers are obliged to optimise the value of property and other assets under their control and under section 10 of the NAMA Act 2009, NAMA is required to obtain the best achievable financial return for the State from its acquired loans and the properties that secure those loans so that, to the greatest extent possible, the debt outstanding against the assets can be repaid.

Prior to the receiver’s appointment over these lands, the property owner entered into an informal arrangement with Tyrrelstown GAA Club, which granted the club the use of the lands on a temporary basis, free of charge. The agreement with the GAA club was accepted as being no more than a temporary arrangement until such time as the owner of the land, now the receiver, determined the ultimate strategy for the land concerned. It is important to highlight that the site currently occupied by Tyrrelstown GAA Club is zoned for mixed use development under the Fingal development plan. As a result, the long-term use of the site as a sports amenity is not currently possible, unless the plan changes.

As part of the zoning process for the Tyrrelstown area, the property owner ceded 60 acres of lands to Fingal County Council for use for educational sites and amenity space, including playing fields. It is my understanding that Fingal County Council is currently developing the fields on this land, which are due to be completed in 2019.

I am advised that, following discussions, the receiver has agreed to grant Tyrrelstown GAA Club a licence to continue to use the property for another 15 months to the end of May 2019, at which point alternative facilities should be available, and that this arrangement has been accepted in principle by the GAA club. The receiver has been reasonable in his dealings with the club and it is now a matter for the club to engage with Fingal County Council as regards the alternative facilities now being put in place that I mentioned earlier.

While this is a positive development, it is important to reiterate that as NAMA does not own these properties, it is not in a position to compel debtors or receivers to sell their assets at less than market value. While it is clear that NAMA is not in a position to gift land or property, should a community group have an interest in a particular piece of land or property or wishes to extend a sports pitch, it should speak, in the first instance, with the debtor or receiver who controls the land.

While working to obtain the best achievable financial return for the taxpayer, the NAMA board is open to proposals that achieve desirable social objectives in a manner that complements the objectives of other public bodies, including Government Departments, State agencies and local authorities. In line with this, NAMA has facilitated the sale of land and property for a range of public uses including schools, parks and health care facilities.

NAMA also works with local authorities and other public bodies in the planning system to support the achievement of key policy objectives including, for example, the provision of social housing and the resolution of unfinished housing estates. To date, NAMA has facilitated the provision of almost 2,500 properties for social housing.

I believe the approach determined by NAMA'S board is contributing in terms of its primary commercial objective, while at the same time contributing to the achievement of wider public policy objectives.

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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I am thrilled to think the Minister of State thinks a receiver is being very reasonable in allowing this club to stay on the land for another year. Is he aware that it is the same receiver and the same owners of the land who are trying to evict dozens of families in Tyrrelstown from their homes? Does he believe that is reasonable as well? There is nothing reasonable about the way Tyrrelstown has been mis-planned and mis-developed.

This club has been very successful in providing a vital social service, despite all of the odds. I mentioned that Tyrrelstown was a very diverse community. It also has needs and to provide cohesion in a community, it needs sporting and youth facilities. There is nothing for young people in this area. As a result, there are social problems where young people are becoming waylaid and misdirected because they do not have viable and proper outlets and amenities in the area, and the local community has paid the price for that. There has been massive under-investment in this area and in Dublin 15 and while the Taoiseach is boasting about all the great resources that will be brought to Dublin West, there are huge chunks of Dublin West, such as Tyrrelstown, Mulhuddart and many other areas, that are bereft of transport, sporting and social facilities.

The Minister of State mentioned other pitches. There are many Indian, Pakistani and other nationalities who want cricket facilities, and Ireland does quite well at cricket, but the cricket club in Tyrrelstown has not been developed. There is huge competition and demand for the pitches the Minister of State mentioned.

I agree with the Minister of State that it is very unfortunate that parties like his, Fine Gael, and Labour decided to rezone that land and make it commercial. A strip of green in front of two schools should not be used for a commercial and local centre. The place is full of empty shops and buildings. The pub has closed down. The kitchen shop and a furniture shop recently closed down. The pharmacy may close down. The idea that a sports club has to be evicted to provide for commercial use is outrageous.

It is not the case. Rather than support for the receiver, it is a poor show of support for the local community to get what it was let down about in the first instance.

6:55 pm

Photo of Michael D'ArcyMichael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I do not want to get into a bashing session on the zoning, which is really a matter for Fingal County Council.

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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It is the Minister of State's party also.

Photo of Michael D'ArcyMichael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Changing the zoning is a matter for the local authority not the House. I speak as the chairman of my local GAA club and I am well aware of the super facilities, sporting opportunities and everything else that clubs bring forward. I am not aware of Tyrellstown GAA directly but if the local authority has organised 60 acres for community and amenity space, it is a lot of ground and there should be space within that for pitches. That is the information I have. The 60 acres that has been made available to Fingal County Council should be sufficient to meet the requirements of any GAA, cricket or other club. Something I support fully and that is happening in local authority areas nationally is the convergence of facilities in one complex or space under the auspices of the local authority. It has happened a great deal in Dublin but not as much in other local authority areas. One cannot ignore the fact where a deal has been done and there is 60 acres available for amenity-----

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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There are two large schools included in the 60 acres. That is the Department of Education and Skills.

Photo of Frank O'RourkeFrank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Please, Deputy, let the Minister of State reply.

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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It is totally disingenuous of him to use that figure. There are schools on those sites.

Photo of Michael D'ArcyMichael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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It is not. The Deputy is talking about what has not been done but she has chosen to ignore what I have read out and what has been done also.

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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There are schools on the 60 acres so the Minister of State should stop saying that is available.

Photo of Frank O'RourkeFrank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Please, Deputy.