Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am raising the issue of the provision of social and affordable housing in Dublin city and, specifically, in Dublin Central. As the Minister of State will know, this is the constituency where I grew up and where I live. Today, I wish to talk specifically about the proposal to deliver homes on a Dublin City Council site at Stanley Street. For those who do not know it, this is a city council-owned site right in the heart of Dublin 7.It is between Stoneybatter and Grangegorman Lower, just off North Brunswick Street. It is kind of a hidden site. You would pass by North Brunswick Street and you might not even notice it. Since the 1900s, it has been used as a city council depot for waste management, engineering and mechanical activity. There are old tram lines running over the cobblestoned streets. The site has been earmarked for the development of housing as part of the Housing for All plan in Dublin Central. Housing for All is funding the development of almost 2,500 new homes, which will be a mix of social and affordable homes. This proposal is very welcome because it is more than a decade since any new homes were built in Dublin Central.

The reason I raise the issue in the House is the concern that there is scope to accelerate the pace at which the housing development is being progressed by Dublin City Council. Will the Minister of State inform the House of the current status of the development of housing on Stanley Street? How many homes will be built there and what is the timeline for completing them? While Housing for All is a €20 billion plan that is delivering thousands of homes, each and every one of those homes is desperately needed, most acutely in the city. I hope the Minister of the State has a good update for the House and I look forward to his answer.