Councillors call for 'transparency' as Camden Yard purchase officially signed
The contract has been signed for Dublin City Council to purchase the Camden Yard site - but councillors are saying this must help alleviate the housing crisis.
The initial reports around this multi-million euro purchase sparked serious outrage among councillors who felt they had been left in dark about an acquisition said to cost in excess of €90 million. Planned to act as the location of a new Civic Offices for the council, the cost of the entire development is projected to be upwards of €670 million .
The purchase also unlocks the potential up to 300 public homes on the site, and an additional 500 public homes at the current offices Wood Quay site. Sinn Fein Group Leader Cllr Daithi Doolan said his party supports “the development of council and affordable housing in Dublin ” as well as “improvement of public services and working conditions for council staff.”
However, Cllr Doolan stressed there needs to be “full transparency” around this development. He has called for a full council meeting “to discuss the plans, the options, the costs and the funding of this major proposal.”
“There are genuine concerns and questions about the cost of the whole project, where the money is coming from and why there has not been a full council meeting to discuss and debate the matter. Reports on upgrading Wood Quay need to be made public to ensure there is accountability and transparency,” he said.
“Council tenants are being hit with a large rent increase but are forced to live in appalling conditions. Many of our tenants are living with leaks, broken toilets, dampness and mould. These conditions are unacceptable. Management informs us that there is no money for maintenance, but now the same management has found over €581m to move offices. This is very frustrating for people living in Dickensian conditions.
“I am calling on senior management to make all reports publicly available and to ensure that the same priority and attention is given to access funding to tackle the maintenance issues facing our council tenants.”
People Before Profit councillors have also called for the publication of a full assessment of the council’s claim that purchase was necessary, as it would cost in excess of €400 to retrofit the exciting Wood Quay offices. Given the financial risks attached to projects of this scale, particularly considering current global economic stability and construction price inflation, they say elected representatives and the public should be given the opportunity to “properly scrutinise" the rationale of the purchase.
“This is an enormous public investment. The council has purchased Camden Yard for over €90 million and is now effectively committing the city to a project estimated at €670 million that may not be completed for many years,” People Before Profit Cllr Conor Reddy said.
“ Dublin City Council has no track record of delivering projects on this scale and the global economic situation is highly uncertain. With construction costs potentially rising, we need far greater clarity about what will actually be delivered and at what final cost.”
People Before Profit Cllr Hazel De Nortuin said this purchase “must deliver homes that meet the real housing need in the area” and explained that early indications “suggest Camden Yard will be almost entirely cost rental, with Wood Quay delivering a mix of cost rental, affordable purchase and some social housing.”
“We believe a much greater proportion should be social housing, given the long waiting lists in Dublin 8 and the reality that many people are being forced out of the communities they have lived in all their lives,” she said.
“There is also a persistent narrative that social housing brings problems, which we completely reject. Well-designed public housing, properly supported and integrated with community facilities, strengthens neighbourhoods and keeps communities together.”
They reiterated that the fact this project “first came to light through a leak before formal briefings were provided to elected representatives” is “concerning.” Although decisions of this nature fall under the executive powers of council management, Councillors Reddy and De Nortuin stressed a project of this “scale and cost” requires "transparency and accountability.”
Councillors also said it was concerning that the project first came to light through a leak before formal briefings were provided to elected representatives. While decisions of this nature fall under the executive powers of council management, they said transparency and accountability are essential where projects of this scale and cost are concerned.
They added that councillors must be able to properly scrutinise major decisions taken by management, particularly where significant financial risk is involved.
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