How many people living high up in a flat wonder about drainage or sewerage at ground level?
How many people DON'T know that they will move from a flat into a new, smaller flat?
Do the new houses HAVE TO BE squashed into a particular site?
A house (if you get one instead of a flat) would be a lovely thing to have and we should be lucky.
But this misses the point.
Ballymun people have a right to proper housing.
and
a right to know that that housing will be properly serviced...water, drainage and sewerage included. There should be proper playgrounds and football pitches. Shops should be close to housing. There should be proper recreational facilites close by. All existing Community, Arts and Youth Clubs should be catered for. There should be opportunities to train for proper jobs.
We don't want dreams or fancy designs. We want the real thing.
Tenants only get to give their opinions on bits of the details of the regeneration plan.
Residents don't get to give their opinions on the details of the WHOLE plan.
It appears that BRL drew up it's Masterplan in a hurry to qualify for tax concessions.
So it appears that BRL didn't properly consider any of the alternatives to it's first ideas.
For example.......
The Flats are structurally sound. They need some refurbishment but this costs less than tearing them down. (Why are BRL building four Storey apartments to replace four storey flats?)
Most of the flats have to come down because they are not suitable for families.
But some could be left for the many single people and small families who want to stay in them, .(see Housing)
This would save money for better neighbourhood centres, childcare facilities and youth clubs and everything else Ballymun needs..
It would save money for drainage and sewerage so that people might not be flooded in their new houses.
BRL will put hardly anything in writing.
See the list of unanswered questions Click here
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It is clear that by planning the estate bit by bit, it ensures that one group of tenants is pitted against others and will not allow other tenants to have a say on the effects of the overall plan.
BUT
Housing built in Balcurris will affect housing built in Coultry, and vice versa.
(see Sewerage and Flooding)
Yet BRL does not appear to have told anyone how.
Let's be clear again.
WE WANT THE PROPER REGENERATION OF BALLYMUN
FOR THE PEOPLE OF BALLYMUN
NOT DUBLIN CORPORATION.
The Department of the Environment could have liaised with the other government departments to ensure a fully committed and all-round integrated plan that had the complete commitment and support of all the government. That way every relevant department could play a direct role in the regeneration and give the regeneration a better chance of success.
We believe that it was inadequate for the government to just give the Corporation the money and leave them to do the job. A national scale public project deserves a national scale response.
Read the Taoiseach Views
Sources of information