THE REMAINING BALLYMUN tower and two further blocks have been cleared for demolition following a ruling from Dublin City Council.
The demolition application was made by Ballymun Regeneration Limited (BRL) with the fifteen story Joseph Plunkett tower the tallest of the three sites remaining. The successful application gives permission for their “demolition by mechanical means or the controlled use of explosives”.
The three sites contain over 280 housing units but most have already been vacated with only handful of families still remaining in the properties.
The granting of the application has been described as “notional” by one local councillor however who says that no details have been given on any timescale or indeed any further regeneration in the area.
“In reality the Ballymun regeneration project is coming to conclusion,” says Fianna Fáil councillor Paul McAuliffe. “The council are granting itself permission to demolish but it isn’t in any way imminent.”
BRL has been ongoing since the late 1990s but McAuliffe says that is set to be wound up in the autumn without the final stages of regeneration being completed:
Joseph Plunkett might have approval for demolition but we are still a long way off seeing the back of Plunkett, this is just a technical approval.
McAullife says €30 million has been cut from the Ballymun renewal programme and that it is imperative that the final stages of the regeneration plans are completed to ensure that the lack of facilities that caused problems in the past are not repeated.
“In particular the final housing projects, the important link roads and the town shopping centre all need to be delivered, ” he said.
McAuliffe acknowledges that authorities are “working very hard” to find alternative housing for the families remaining in the blocks scheduled for demolition but says that a completed renewal programmes is the best way forward.
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