Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 29: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position regarding housing regeneration projects for Croke Villas, St. Teresa's Gardens, Jamestown Road, Convent Lands on Sean McDermott Street, Infirmary Road, Bridgefoot Street flat complex, St. Michael's Estate in Inchicore, Dominick Street and O'Devaney Gardens, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16068/10]

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 55: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will deal with a matter (details supplied). [15970/10]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 55 together.

My Department is committed to a multi-annual regeneration programme in Dublin City to help to improve the lives and conditions of the communities involved. The programme is reviewed on a regular basis with Dublin City Council, including through the biannual Housing Action Plan meetings, with new projects added and additional elements of existing projects advanced, as resources permit. It is a matter for Dublin City Council, in the first instance, to prioritise and manage the advancement of projects within the programme having regard to its available funding resources.

Over the past decade my Department has invested over €100 million in the Dublin City Council inner city flats regeneration programme to improve the accommodation quality of the complexes, as well as to address economic and social issues including anti-social behaviour. Under the 2009 capital programme, my Department provided €12 million for projects at Bridgefoot Street, Queen Street, Lourdes House and Sean Treacy House. Investment in approved projects at Poplar Row, Lourdes House and Seán Treacy House is continuing in 2010 with funding of almost €9 million available to substantially complete the programme.

In 2008, due to the changing economic climate, the City Council was not in a position to progress a number of projects under Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements. The City Council therefore suspended its PPP programme pending recovery in the market, and established a multi-disciplinary Special Housing Taskforce to examine alternative options for the redevelopment, in particular, of the priority regeneration projects i.e. St Michael's Estate, O'Devaney Gardens and Dominick Street. The Taskforce initial strategy for the phased development of these estates, incorporating the construction of social housing as Phase 1, was adopted by the City Council in December 2008.

In support of this process, my Department has liaised closely with Dublin City Council to ensure that the former PPP regeneration projects are considered for inclusion in the national regeneration programme. In this regard my Department issued approval in 2009 to the City Council to go to tender for phase one of the St. Michael's Estate Project and funding of €3.5 million is available to support the project this year. Detailed proposals for the future redevelopment of O'Devaney Gardens and Dominick Street are expected from the City Council in 2010/2011 and in the meantime the City Council is continuing its strategy for the detenanting of these areas.

The Taskforce is now examining redevelopment options for Phase 2 projects i.e. Croke Villas, Dolphin House, and St. Teresa's Gardens.

In addition, in the light of changes in the housing market, a number of proposed affordable and private housing projects, which had been earmarked to proceed by PPP arrangements, i.e. Bridgefoot Street, Infirmary Road, Convent Lands on Sean McDermott Street and Jamestown Road are not now proceeding.