Oliver Bond residents living in 'unacceptable conditions' deserve clarity
An emergency motion calling for the residents of Oliver Bond House to be given clarity after the shock news of scrapped regeneration plans is being prepared for Monday’s Dublin City Council meeting.
Lord Mayor Councillor Ray McAdam has stated he’s unhappy with the Department of Housing’s decision to refuse funding to refurbish Oliver Bond House. He described the conditions tenants are living in as “unacceptable” and said a cross–party motion is being prepared “that will send a very clear message to government that we need to see movement on Oliver Bond House quickly.”
“We have worked very hard with colleagues in the Customs House to move this project forward. And above all else, I think the residents and householders of Oliver Bond need to see clarity and they need to have certainty as to when the regeneration is going to take place,” he said.
“I'm working with and talking to colleagues on the ruling group across Labour, Greens, my own party Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, so that we can agree an emergency motion that can get the support of the council.”
He said it’s imperative that tenants live in conditions “fit for the 21st century” and that is currently not the case for those in Oliver Bond. The funding proposal to retrofit and amalgamate the flats was rejected by the department as not representing good value for money, as it would reduce unit numbers from 74 to 46, which represents a 38% reduction of homes.
Currently, some existing flats at Oliver Bond fall short of minimum space requirements and the department has requested the council update their proposal to “provide for a deep retrofit of the existing flats and houses while ensuring that there is not a significant reduction in homes.”
Originally, construction was due to begin in 2028, with new homes fully built in 2030. This need to go back to the drawing board has left Oliver Bond residents in a state of uncertainty as to when regeneration will take place. Sinn Féin Cllr Ciarán Ó Meachair spoke out after being informed that the regeneration of Oliver Bond House was not moving forward as planned, describing the department’s decision as “one of the most shameful they’ve made in living memory.”
“Residents in Oliver Bond live in some of the most horrific housing conditions in the state. Dampness and mould are rampant across the complex, causing terrible respiratory problems and other health issues. To turn around to these people and basically tell them to suck it up is cruel,” he said.
“These residents were landed with a rent hike only a few weeks ago. They are now expected to pay more to live surrounded by damp and mould with no end in sight.
“Time and time again the state has shown they don’t care about the people who live in Oliver Bond. It’s incumbent on all public representatives of the area to stand with the community, and oppose the government on this."
When contacted for comment, the Department of Housing stated that they fully support the regeneration of older flat complexes such as Oliver Bond House, but the current proposal needs to be revised due to costs. Their full statement is as follows:
"The Department cannot support the significant reduction of homes as proposed by DCC – going from 74 down to 46 for the three blocks proposed – this would represent a 38% reduction of homes – all of which are currently tenanted. The cost of such reductions do not represent value for money and would leave 28 households without a home.
"In line with recently approved plan for regeneration of Pearse House, the Department has requested that DCC update the latest Oliver Bond proposal to provide for a deep retrofit of the existing flats and houses while ensuring that there is not a significant reduction in homes.
"It is noted that some of the existing flats fall short of the minimum apartment floor areas for the current usage/bedspaces. 45 of the 74 homes across the three blocks proposed for regeneration are two-bedroom flats with an average size of 49.48 sq. m. with no flat smaller than 48 sq. m. 27 of the flats have one bedroom and an average size of 39 sq. m. with no flat smaller than 37.7 sq. m.
"As part of the deep retrofit of such flats the department recommends that flats be reconfigured for the appropriate bedspaces for the existing floor areas; e.g. convert small two-bedroom flats to standard size one-bedroom homes for couples.
"DCC are currently working on a proposal to build new homes on the adjoining Bridgefoot Street site and also to demolish three of the Oliver Bond blocks. This will afford the Council the opportunity to provide the needed larger 3-bedroom homes to accommodate over-crowding issues at Oliver Bond House."
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