Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | 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.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Ellis for raising this important matter. While the redevelopment of Ballymun Shopping Centre is a matter for Dublin City Council, I welcome the opportunity to provide the Deputy with an update. The former shopping centre site is an eight-acre main street one, the development potential of which was reviewed as part of the Ballymun local area plan 2017. The site has been identified for mixed retail and residential use development in the local area plan. The front portion of the site will be affected by the metro north project and Dublin City Council’s housing department and local area office intend to engage with the local area councillors to develop the best development strategy possible for the site, having regard to the proposed metro situation and the economic climate.

As the Deputy is aware, the Ballymun regeneration project has delivered substantial improvements throughout the area. With specific reference to the Ballymun Shopping Centre, I am advised that according to the Ballymun local area plan 2017, Dublin City Council has proposed dividing the land into two sites; site 1A and site 1B. The plans envisage two blocks that would contain 300 residential units facing Sillogue Road on site 1B, while site 1A would see the development of 41,000 sq. m commercial and mixed use buildings, in two blocks, that would face the main street. Dublin City Council has advised that the demolition of the former shopping centre is complete and it is exploring the optimum use for this site. The site is being used to facilitate temporary commercial activities. For example, a funfair was on-site for the May bank holiday weekend.

As the Deputy knows, the Ballymun regeneration programme spanned several years, from 1999 to 2016, and the overall programme is estimated to have expended €972 million. Funding of over €775 million was provided via my Department to 24 projects that were completed. The Ballymun programme represents the largest regeneration initiative ever 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 flat blocks and an additional 1,350 homes were provided via private sector investment. In recent years, regeneration activity has focused on improving the area's environmental performance with various green initiatives and new parks and playing pitches.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State says it is up to Dublin City Council and it is the owner but there is also an onus on the Department. We are talking about housing, apartments, building and looking for projects and this is a prime site on the Ballymun Road on the way to Dublin Airport. It is situated in a good spot to access the city and the airport and it is in a good position but it needs a push from the Department and it needs funding to be made available, as was made available under the regeneration carried out by Ballymun Regeneration Limited. This was the heart of Ballymun and I grew up around the area. I know what it is like and I know what it was like when we used to go into the shopping centre. There was a great atmosphere and mixing of the people in the area, which was fantastic. We want to see a village-style effect there. We have the metro coming, which will enhance the area and it will be a vital stop for people in Ballymun and the surrounding areas. It is close to the M50 and we know that further up, in Northwood, the metro will be anchored with its depot, from where it will be built. This area is being massively built up all along the Ballymun Road, on the Northwood side and on the Ballymun side at the shopping centre. As far as I know, my comrade, Deputy McAuliffe, has said the Taoiseach made a commitment to visit Ballymun. I am hoping he will fulfil that commitment because I would like to see him there and to show him the shopping centre and the damage that was done in losing it. It was vital to the community and I would like to press the urgency of this on him.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Ellis again for raising this matter. It is a matter for Dublin City Council, its members and the public to engage in the public consultation for the development of this site. Deputy McAuliffe, who is beside me, advises that the Taoiseach will be visiting on 11 July and I know from our work in the Department that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is familiar with the site and has visited it before.

On regeneration, the Department has record funding of over €2 billion available for urban regeneration and development in one funding stream in which Dublin City Council has prioritised certain projects to go through the application process. This year another call will come through the Department for that funding stream. We are willing to work with the local Deputies, the county councillors and the local authority to give them any support we can to redevelop the site. These are competitive calls and funding streams that go through the Department and are assessed. The money is there and record levels of funding have been provided. We have committed €1.3 billion already in the last call and we committed €300 million in the call before that. That might be a mechanism the local authority will look at. I am sure that offices higher than mine are on their way to view the site and I look forward to hearing back on that.