Kevin Humphreys (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Damien English, for coming into the House to take this matter. I will talk about Poolbeg West and the 3,000 homes that will I hope be built there in the coming years. For young people, like those in the Visitors Gallery, we are talking about building a sustainable city with a properly integrated social mix.

I will give some of the history of the area. People living in the Ringsend, Sandymount and Pearse Street area have a history of providing homes for themselves. Way back in the 1980s we started to build affordable housing through co-operative movements. When the docklands were developed, the community devised a scheme that provided for 20% social and affordable housing. It was taken on board by the then Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Noel Dempsey, and developed as Part V housing. In the Ringsend area alone about 150 affordable housing units have been generated. They are very different. Because there is such a strong tradition of providing affordable homes in the area, very few people are in arrears. Many people living in affordable and council housing fell into arrears during the recession, but that has not happened in our community because of that strong tradition. In many ways, we would not have a housing crisis if the former Minister, Martin Cullen, had not undermined the very good legislation brought forward by his predecessor, Noel Dempsey.

There were no social or affordable units provided during the boom because the legislation had been watered down to such an extent that very few social or affordable homes were provided during that period. Now that we are starting to see new homes being built, there is the possibility to make sure we will have sustainable integrated communities. The pilot scheme can start in Poolbeg West, on the old Irish Glass Bottle site, on which it is proposed to provide 3,000 new homes. I ask the Minister of State to look seriously at the options for developing affordable housing, including for renting, on that site. There are many working people living on Pearse Street and in Ringsend and Sandymount who cannot afford to meet the huge market costs. We want to have a sustainable city and sustainable communities. There is a pilot scheme taking place on Dublin City Council land. The housing action group that has emerged from the community is made up of very reasonable people who want to develop a model that will work. They have engaged positively with the receiver because we understand the land is not owned by the State. They have met most of the voluntary housing bodies. We can develop the model of affordable homes, including for renting, and establish how they would be managed into the future because sustainability is important. It has been gotten wrong in cases before. The people concerned met department officials this week. The meeting was supposed to last for only about half an hour or 45 minutes, but it went on for nearly two hours at the officials' request because they were interested in hearing about the new developments and the thought process involved.

What do I want from the Minister of State today? Affordable homes, including for renting, which the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, want to see provided, can be developed. The legislation in place only specifies a figure of 10% for social housing. To have sustainable communities, we need a mix.

I will take some time off at the end because this element is important.