Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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When the Ballymun shopping centre was built it became the social and economic heart of the area. In more recent years, its derelict, vacant units and outward appearance disheartened locals and was an unwelcome sight for visitors to Ballymun and those who drove through it. Ballymun shopping centre became a stark reminder of the failure of the costly regeneration project which cost more than €1 billion. The community in Ballymun deserves better. The derelict site does not reflect the spirit of the closely knit community of the area. The regeneration project was supposed to be about improving people's lives and their environment as well as providing proper housing. It was also about enhancing the quality of life of people and their environs.

The redevelopment of the shopping centre was central to the 1997 Ballymun regeneration plan. Treasury Holdings presented a plan for the shopping centre. The new complex, which was to be the main shopping facility for the suburb's 18,000 residents, was due to be built in 2005. In 2009, Treasury Holdings secured planning permission for Springcross, which was the old shopping centre site. The plans were to deliver an €800 million development. This development was to include an 11-screen cinema, a bowling alley, a public library, a crèche, restaurants and public houses as well as more than 70 shops, offices and apartments. Construction was to begin in 2010. However, as a result of the economic crash, the town centre lands became part of NAMA's portfolio of loans before any development began.

Many retailers in the centre closed in 2014 and the shopping centre suffered a major blow when it lost Tesco, its most important tenant. Dublin City Council, which is now the major stakeholder, has at last begun the process of demolishing the 50-year old shopping centre. If matters are handled correctly, we will be in a position to revitalise the centre of Ballymun and make it once more the heartbeat of the community. The new development could once again become a central hub linking the communities of Ballymun. Sinn Féin will not support any development on this site that does not have at its core the idea and philosophy that this site is crucial to making this area once again the heart of the community of Ballymun. Dublin City Council should deliver on the promises and aspirations of the regeneration project. Central to that is making this site once more the centre of a vibrant and growing community.

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Over the lifetime of Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, some €211 million is being made available under the national regeneration programme to support the delivery of more than 1, 000 new social housing homes. Together with providing a significant number of new homes, the projects seek to address the causes of disadvantage in these communities through a holistic programme of physical, social and economic regeneration.

The Ballymun regeneration programme, which predates Rebuilding Ireland, spanned many years, with departmental funding first arising in 1999 from the 1997 plan to which the Deputy referred. This substantial programme, which comprised 24 projects, is now complete. The overall programme is estimated to have cost approximately €972 million. Funding of €775.3 million was provided via the then Department of the Environment and Local Government. Largely completed by the end of 2013, the Ballymun programme represents the largest regeneration initiative undertaken in the State. The State's investment resulted in almost 2,000 new replacement homes being constructed for the former residents of the original blocks of flats. An additional 1,350 homes were provided via private sector investment. In addition, the programme provided state-of-the-art community facilities, such as the Axis Theatre, along with neighbourhood centres to improve services. In recent years, the regeneration activity has focused on improving the area's environmental performance with various green initiatives, new parks and playing pitches. Enterprise and employment generation has focused on the main street and retail parks, with many new employment opportunities created for residents of the area.

I fully concur with Deputy's Ellis's point on the central role of the shopping centre in completing the regeneration of Ballymun. The redevelopment of the shopping centre is considered to be the key remaining element in the regeneration of the Ballymun area. This significant main street site comprising 3.2 ha is zoned for district centre mixed use in both the city development plan and the Ballymun area plan. Dublin City Council wishes to obtain sustainable mixed use viable development that will maximise the site, use its full potential and complement the extensive State and local authority investment in Ballymun's regeneration to date. Following a competitive procurement process earlier this year, a demolition contractor was selected and the contractor commenced work on the site on 9 September 2019. The site is being secured in advance of commencing the demolition works, which will take approximately six months to complete. Future use of the site will involve a public consultation process.

A regeneration project moves through a number of phases throughout its life. The initial master planning stage is followed by demolition works, enabling works, refurbishment and consolidation works in some cases and then construction. A regeneration project must extend beyond physical redevelopment alone. In order to be successful and sustainable over the long term, a regeneration project requires the rebuilding of a community and the strengthening of community bonds. Taken together, the provision of state-of-the-art community facilities, large-scale housing regeneration and new development and support for local enterprise and employment through various social regeneration initiatives ensured the success so far of the Ballymun regeneration programme. The redevelopment of the shopping centre site will complete the regeneration of this area. It is expected, following the completion of the demolition works, which are expected to take six months, that the city council will engage in extensive consultation with stakeholders and the wider public to ensure that the objectives the Deputy outlined are met for the community of Ballymun and those areas around Ballymun that will benefit from the regeneration of the shopping centre site.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The reality is that the regeneration programme has not been completed and shopping facilities for the people of Ballymun are virtually non-existent. That is a tragedy for the people of the area and all those who have to travel to the Blanchardstown shopping centre, the Omni Park shopping centre and the Charlestown shopping centre. They should be able to shop in their own community where they meet their neighbours, have a coffee or drop into the public house to have a drink - all the normal things people expect to do in a place with such a large population. The population of Ballymun will exceed 20,000 in the coming years. I am hopeful metro north will go through Ballymun. We have been given a commitment in that regard and I hope it is not reneged on because it would be a lifeline not just for the area but also for people accessing the airport and travelling across the city. There are considerable environmental issues attached to that project.

I do not know any other area that has been as badly treated as Ballymun. I accept that some matters were beyond the control of Dublin City Council but the situation is not good enough. The shopping centre comes up at every meeting I attend in Ballymun, including forum meetings with residents. People want to know where they can meet their neighbours, as they did previously, so as to recreate their community spirit. In the context of the proposed consultation, there is much evidence from many meetings to show us what the people of Ballymun want.

I urge Dublin City Council to address this issue. We accept we have to build houses and we have to do all of these things because the situation is urgent. However, we cannot do it at the expense of leaving a community like Ballymun without the facilities they should have and that they had in the past. It is imperative that we do this.

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I agree with virtually everything Deputy Ellis has said. I am not in a position to direct local authorities as to what they should do with sites like this or, indeed, with issues like this in their own functional areas. However, it would not be unreasonable to hope that Dublin City Council could begin the consultation process when the demolition works are actually happening, so that what Deputy Ellis speaks about in terms of the completion of the regeneration of Ballymun can happen as soon as possible. He is right to point out that a lot of the factors which delayed work commencing on this project were not the city council's fault and not the fault of many other people. Nonetheless, we are in a position now where we can complete the rehabilitation of Ballymun and ensure an adequate community centre and mixed-use shopping facility is provided in the Ballymun area, an area that is going to expand, as the Deputy pointed out.

This public consultation process will hopefully lead to a sustainable shopping offering. Deputy Ellis eloquently made the point that shopping is about more than just physical buildings. It is about having a place where people can meet their neighbours and interact socially with the people they have known for many years. That is why this phase is crucial. The Deputy should to be talking to his own councillors in Dublin City Council to get that consultation under way as soon as possible so the work can be done as soon as possible.