After recently publicising our involvement in an anti-eviction action and housing activism in Dublin the IRSP was contacted by a concerned resident in Ballymun regarding the number of empty houses in the area; the majority of which are council-owned. We were informed that these houses had been empty long term, despite the fact that many locals have been on the housing waiting list for a considerable period.
Nathan Hastings of the IRSP in North Dublin conducted a survey throughout the area including in Sillogue, Poppintree, Balcurris and Coultry, and after a cursory inspection recorded a dozen empty houses apparently owned by the council. This is nothing short of shocking given the current level of homelessness.
Nathan noted that “Ballymun was built in the 1960s to release the pressure of a housing crisis, and today in the midst of another landlord crisis it inexplicably features a shocking number of boarded up houses. This is whilst millions have been pumped into ridiculous amounts of student accomodation in the area which lies largely empty. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the so-called regeneration project in the area which saw the demolition of the iconic flats was more gentrification than regeneration”.
This is completely unacceptable and the IRSP in North Dublin has written to the council asking for an explanation. We will continue liaising with locals on progressing the matter.
