‘It’s completely segregation’ – social tenants hit out at lack of access to ‘premier’ apartment complex’s gym, sauna and cinema room
Social tenants living in a Dublin housing development have hit out at Dublin City Council (DCC) and approved housing body Tuath because they are being denied access to many of the building’s amenities.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one social tenant in the Newmarket Yards complex near The Coombe in Dublin 8 said they were forbidden from using almost every facility private renters enjoy, therefore creating a two-tier living situation.
“The gym, the sauna, the internet, the library room, the cinema room,” they said. “We’re not allowed to use the games room or the pool table. We’re not allowed in the community room, we’re not allowed access to the main front door."
The complex’s social homes are almost all in the Copper House building on site and were acquired under the Part V requirement, which enables local authorities to buy a portion of private developments for social housing.
Rents for one- and two-bedroom apartments for private tenants in Newmarket Yards start at €2,295 and €3,400 a month respectively, with all on-site amenities included in the cost.
The development, completed in early 2024, is billed as a “premier apartment complex” with “state-of-the-art” facilities.
But social tenants’ key cards do not grant them access to any of those spaces because DCC has chosen not to pay the extra cost.
In a statement, DCC said: “Such facilities are not directly tied to the housing objectives of Part V.”
This is fostering a sense of anger among social tenants, who occupy 41 of the 413 apartments in the build-to-rent scheme.
“It’s completely segregation,” said the tenant. “A lot of this stuff I just found out after I moved in. It wasn’t mentioned by Tuath.
“And if security sees you in an amenity, they kick you out.”
The tenant has been in touch with DCC and Tuath regarding amenity access, but said they had largely been “stonewalled”.
People Before Profit councillor Hazel De Nortúin raised the issue in a DCC motion, condemning “the unfair segregation of social housing tenants” and calling on council management to “ensure that this type of arrangement is not repeated in future Part V agreements”.
In response, a representative of DCC said the amenities issue had been raised by three Newmarket Yards tenants in 2024, but had not been brought to its attention since.
“All the 41 residents have full access to Block B in Copper House, and there’s a bike shed, bins, storage and rooftop garden block, so that’s access to all residents there,” she said.
Negotiating access to a gym would fall outside the requirements for social housing
The representative added that Tuath had organised a “meet and greet” on the rooftop terrace of the complex in summer 2024 and intended to run more events this spring.
However, elected members at the recent DCC meeting agreed with Ms De Nortúin. Labour councillor Darragh Moriarty said that “tucking away” social tenants and “hiding them from the rest of the complex” was not why Part V was introduced.
“It goes against the spirit of Part V, as far as I’m concerned, to just lock away the tenants in a block over there and occasionally bring them out for a meet and greet on the roof terrace,” he said. “I don’t think that’s the proper way to socially mix our communities.”
The council’s housing chief, Mick Mulhern, said previously that spreading social housing evenly around private developments – a practice known as “pepper potting” – was more complicated and more expensive.
Social Democrats councillor Lesley Byrne said she reacted with “dismay” when she heard those comments.
“Not everything is measured in terms of euros and cents, and when we don’t integrate communities, the cost down the line is huge, not just financial, but in terms of anti-social behaviour,” she said.
A spokesperson for DCC said the authority and Tuath Housing entered into a long-term lease for 41 homes in Newmarket Yards under the Part V requirement.
“Part V legislation is specifically focused on housing provision only and does not extend to funding for ancillary amenities such as gyms, cinemas or other facilities,” the spokesperson said.
“The Part V scheme requires that DCC achieve the best value option through maximising the social housing gain for DCC within the permitted development.”
Negotiating access to a gym would fall outside the requirements for social housing.
The spokesperson added that there was a cafe on the ground floor of Newmarket Yards’ Clay House that is open to everyone, including members of the public, between 8am and 4pm every day.
A spokesperson for Tuath said Newmarket Yards is “a multi-block development with separate ownership and management arrangements”.
“Certain amenities are privately operated as part of a distinct management structure attached to other blocks and sit outside Tuath’s ownership or control,” the spokesperson added.
They confirmed there was no way for residents to pay extra to gain access to the complex’s amenities, but said this reflected “the ownership and lease structure of the development rather than a distinction based on tenancy type”.