Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issue of the way Dublin 8 and Dublin 12 are continually used as dumping grounds for this city's anti-social behaviour and social problems. Earlier in the week, I raised the issue of the lack of education provision in respect of a school in Walkinstown and today I wish to refer to plans to locate another homeless hostel in Dublin 8. To date, there are 12 homeless accommodation units in Dublin 8, compared with only two in Dublin 4. This particular proposal relates to the former St. Nicholas of Myra community centre in the heart of the Liberties. It is planned to convert the latter into a 65-bed hostel for the homeless. In the aftermath of this news, residents in the Liberties plan to protest at 6 o'clock this evening. To date, there are over 600 homeless and addiction services in Dublin 8 and the residents are seriously concerned about such a large concentration in this area in a very densely populated part of the city. This former community centre closed a few years ago due to a lack of funding but there was also the hope that it would be reopened, especially in light of anti-social behaviour in the city and a lack of green space and community space. It is frightening to think that the Dublin City Council thinks it is acceptable to locate another homeless hostel in this part of this city.

Another example of how the constituency of Dublin South Central is used as a dumping ground relates to the 29 modular homes proposed to be built on the Curlew Road site in Drimnagh. This is a one-acre site. I ask Senators to imagine 100 people living together there in the 29 modular homes it is proposed to build without this resulting in an increase in the incidences of anti-social behaviour and social problems in the part of the city to which I refer. Dublin South Central has one of the smallest number of green areas in the city. Most recently, there has been a campaign for the provision of a full size sports pitch in the Liberties area. There is no such facility there and young people who want to play sports have to travel outside the area to play a decent football or Gaelic match This is wrong. The Government needs to do something to give back to young people living there and to give back to the area because it cannot continue to be a dumping ground for anti-social problems in this city. It is not fair.