Government ‘perpetuating human rights violations’ by delaying regeneration of Dublin flats
The Government has been warned that it is “perpetuating human rights violations” by delaying the regeneration of Dublin housing complexes.
In a submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) said “continued delays” in regenerating Dublin’s flat complexes are breaching “fundamental human rights obligations.”
It follows the Government last week shelving plans to regenerate several blocks of the dilapidated Oliver Bond House in Dublin 8, saying the Dublin City Council proposals “do not represent value for money”.
The plans would have amalgamated smaller flats to form larger units, which meant an overall reduction in apartments from 74 to 46 for the three blocks proposed.
The Department of Housing said it could not support such a reduction “during a housing crisis.” However DCC had also outlined plans to build more housing units on nearby sites to offset the decrease.
IHREC director Deirdre Malone told the committee that the state’s failure to address chronic problems such as damp, mould, sewage and pest infestations in inner-city complexes “amount to an ongoing denial of the right to adequate housing.”
The organisation said that Ireland remains in breach of its obligations under the European Social Charter, almost a decade after the European Committee of Social Rights found that the State had failed to ensure adequate housing conditions for council tenants.
Ms Malone said: “Children are growing up in homes affected by damp, mould, leaks, pest infestations and chronic disrepair while regeneration projects face repeated delays, uncertainty and now, in some cases, cancellation. That is unacceptable in a modern republic.”
"Residents and communities must be placed at the centre of regeneration decisions. Human rights require meaningful participation, accountability and urgency,” she said.
"The State cannot continue to defer action while people remain living in inadequate and unhealthy conditions.”
It follows a Dublin City Council motion, which passed with cross-party support yesterday, urging Government to reverse their decision on Oliver Bond House.
The motion was introduced by Labour councillor Darragh Moriarty, who said the apartment blocks were “barely habitable”.
"Last Wednesday a bomb dropped in the community of Oliver Bond when they were told that regeneration funding for phase one was to be pulled,” he said.
“This is so much bigger than Oliver Bond,” he added, pointing to the many housing regeneration projects around the city dependent on Government funds.
"That’s why we all in this chamber must stand in solidarity and tell the department we are not accepting a shrug of the shoulders when it comes to Oliver Bond.”
Sinn Féin councillor Ciarán Ó Meachair said Oliver Bond residents had been “failed by the state” on everything from policing to planning and housing maintenance.
"Oliver Bond residents have attended the Oliver Bond Regeneration Forum in good faith for several years. They’ve engaged with the process, they’ve done everything right. But the reality is, they’ve been led up the garden path by the state,” he said.
Housing Minister James Browne had scheduled a meeting with Oliver Bond residents for this week, but this has since been pushed back to next week.