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RollingNews.ie

Council says first phase of Priory Hall apartments have been fully refurbished

It was confirmed earlier this week that the council would be asking councillors for the go-ahead to sell the first phase of the apartments.

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL says that it aims to sell or hand over 60 units at the refurbished Priory Hall as soon as possible.

It was confirmed earlier this week that the council would be asking councillors for the go-ahead to sell the first phase of the New Priory apartments in Donaghmede.

Residents had been ordered to leave two years previously by the council, after fire officers declared the complex dangerous and a fire-trap.

Under a deal brokered by the Taoiseach’s department and the Department of the Environment, it was agreed that former residents would have their debt written off.

The council has spent €27 million revamping the apartments and will look to begin recouping some of that by selling the units.

Today, the council released details of what it will ask councillors on Monday.

“Phase One includes blocks 1–7, consisting of 60 residential units and one retail unit.

Of these, the council and St. Michael’s House will be allocated nine units while seven will be returned to the buy-to-lets, completely refitted with white goods and in turn-key condition.

“The remaining 44 units will be made available for sale to the owner-occupier market for much-needed accommodation in a sought-after area.”

Tenders for the remediation of a further 13 blocks will be issued in the next few weeks, with construction due at the end of the year.

On Monday, the council will ask members to:

  • Dispose of the common areas to the management company for a nominal consideration
  • Dispose to various named parties of the individual units

The Workers Party and Anti-Austerity Alliance have both indicated they are not in favour of the disposal, both favouring using the units as social housing. Currently, 30% of the units must be used towards social housing.

“It makes no sense to continue that trend by selling off such a valuable asset to, most likely, landlords who can charge exorbitant rent,” says Éilis Ryan.

Read: Dublin City Council to start selling refurbished Priory Hall apartments

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17 Comments
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    Mute Raven
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    Feb 20th 2020, 5:10 PM

    The citizens who live in these towns should be deciding if they want direct provision centers in their area, not over paid politicians and councillors.

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    Mute Brian Mc Cabe
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    Feb 20th 2020, 5:14 PM

    @Raven: do you get to decide who moves into your town

    104
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    Mute Joe Davis
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    Feb 20th 2020, 5:26 PM

    @Brian Mc Cabe: tullamore in two years time. Sit back and watch

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    Mute Fergus
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    Feb 20th 2020, 5:52 PM

    @Raven:

    “Administrators shouldn’t get to administer! It should be the citizens!”

    45
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    Mute Raven
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    Feb 20th 2020, 5:58 PM

    @Fergus:
    They’re not administrators if they don’t consult with the citizens that it effects directly, you’re thinking of a different word.

    83
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    Mute Raven
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    Feb 20th 2020, 6:02 PM

    @Brian Mc Cabe:
    Not I, we do. Our local ribbon cutters consult with us, the people in our area, on any major issues that will or could effect us, doesn’t yours?

    23
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    Mute Graham Manning
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    Feb 20th 2020, 6:08 PM

    @Raven: what (alt-rite, hence oxymoron) logic or law is that founded on birdie?

    13
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    Mute Rob Mackey
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    Feb 20th 2020, 6:48 PM

    @Joe Davis: Have you looked at Tullamore now, 168 refugees might bring the tone of the place up lol

    31
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    Mute Paul O'Sullivan
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    Feb 20th 2020, 5:32 PM

    Could be used to house single people who are either in homeless hostels or small families that are in B&Bs etc, would give them a start to rebuild their lives,

    332
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    Mute Paul
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    Feb 20th 2020, 5:34 PM

    @Paul O’Sullivan: plenty of ghost estates around the country which will remain unoccupied because “our own” refuse to move out of their own locality.

    102
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    Mute Terrence Edwards
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    Feb 20th 2020, 5:36 PM

    @Paul O’Sullivan: Does Tullamore have a big homelessness problem or a housing crisis?

    People complaining that an existing building is being re purposed as a direct provision centre, yet if the council build a ‘purpose built’ centre ‘outside the town’ there’d be uproar about the money spent. All this is is NIMBYism.

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    Mute Paul O'Sullivan
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    Feb 20th 2020, 5:43 PM

    @Paul: that’s not true, I’m talking about single men, in particular, who are left in homelessness for years, because they cant get a job because their homeless and they cant get a private rental because their homekess/ jobless etc
    Men who end up isolating themselves with same and end up drinking or abusing drugs out of social exclusion.

    And their are young women in this situation too.. in care for years such as foster families only at 18 years of age abandoned by the system…. into homeless hostels…

    59
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    Mute Graham Manning
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    Feb 20th 2020, 6:13 PM

    @Terrence Edwards: ah deres a bit of the ole racism in there too

    14
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    Mute Paul O'Sullivan
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    Feb 20th 2020, 6:48 PM

    @Graham Manning: shame on you, no one mentioned race, I’ve only posted facts.

    52
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    Mute Graham Manning
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    Feb 20th 2020, 6:52 PM

    @Paul O’Sullivan: did I direct that to you? Nope. And you trying to say that zero of the opposition to this fro anyone is in any way rooted in racism? Come on….

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    Mute Peter Leonard
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    Feb 20th 2020, 9:06 PM

    @Paul O’Sullivan: the on street homeless won’t move away from their dealers and begging spots. The hotel homeless wont move away from Krispy Kreme.

    8
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    Mute David Fitzgerald
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    Feb 20th 2020, 9:36 PM

    @Paul: no there aren’t

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    Mute Pauline Cahill
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    Feb 20th 2020, 6:26 PM

    It shouldn’t be in centre of the town then on another note they can house asylum seekers but not their own homeless

    162
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    Mute Richard Starling
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    Feb 20th 2020, 9:19 PM

    Supply homes for IRISH homeless first. Any accommodation left over can go to others after consultation with local residents.

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    Mute Cormac Laffan
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    Feb 20th 2020, 5:52 PM

    This is way out of hand, we can’t keep shoving people into the arse end of nowhere just to meet our international obligations.
    The locals and the asylum seekers deserve better than this, we’re constantly told how well we’re doing but nothing seems to improve.
    PTSD must be present amongst this group and it can be treated, care doesn’t stop at the door.

    110
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    Mute Raven
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    Feb 20th 2020, 6:07 PM

    @Cormac Laffan:
    You can bet there’s EU or NGO money involved in all of this.

    138
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    Mute Dnom
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:57 AM

    @Cormac Laffan: In Germany they would be forced to work in industry starting in menial jobs to contribute to the economy. We’re the only country that allows freeloading.

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    Mute Ros Kelly
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    Feb 21st 2020, 11:36 AM

    @Cormac Laffan: Well put ..ignore the comments from the ones who accuse the locals of being ‘nimbys’ when they themselves and their own back yards are far away from it (that’s if they’re fortunate enough to have a back yard!)…

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    Mute Denis McClean
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    Feb 21st 2020, 12:49 PM

    @Dnom: Not free-loaders. This is the first batch of low/no hours wokers on minimum wage who will gladly take jobs doing anything and thereby destroy the local labour market. Kids in Tullamore will have to go elsewhere for work while the new workers of Tullamore will never be able to earn enough to buy homes and the place will spiral into a ghetto.

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    Mute John Smith
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    Feb 20th 2020, 5:27 PM

    Can they hurl???

    81
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    Mute David Jordan
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    Feb 20th 2020, 5:33 PM

    @John Smith: On the train to Dublin from Carlow last year I listened to a guy sat behind me talking about hurling for his school team. I tried picturing the guy, sounded a lot like the lads I met in Athlone RTC who were mad into GAA. When we arrived in Hewston, I stood up to get off. He was a black lad, about 16-17.

    75
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    Mute Raven
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    Feb 20th 2020, 6:10 PM

    @David Jordan:
    I watched Paul McGrath on the tele one time talk about football and Guinness, what’s your point?

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    Mute Aido
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    Feb 20th 2020, 8:06 PM

    @David Jordan: *Houston

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    Mute Mick Murphy
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    Feb 20th 2020, 9:37 PM

    @Aido: Heuston even

    21
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    Mute Kieran Daly
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    Feb 20th 2020, 9:08 PM

    When Brexit kicks in next jan, the dept of justice will be putting asylum seekers up in civil servants homes.

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    Mute Louise B
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    Feb 20th 2020, 6:13 PM

    LOL

    17
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    Mute Dnom
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:53 AM

    Post Berxit we are going to be inundated with asylum seekers being the handy go to English speaking country that provides free social welfare and housing. We are exploited in every way possible from big corporation tax avoidance, tax free landlords/vulture funds and welfare scamming.

    27
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    Mute roberto Mankini
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    Feb 20th 2020, 10:47 PM

    They’ll take one look at Tullamore and get back on the bus, don’t worry.

    13
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    Mute Paula T Nolan
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    Feb 20th 2020, 11:09 PM

    Wow. They must run a competition for the most depressing looking buildings in Ireland.

    12
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    Mute Ros Kelly
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    Feb 21st 2020, 11:27 AM

    May I ask the question -
    “Is it not the case that an owner of a building proposing a change of use (from the original use that was granted for the build/ grant of planning permission) – that they must reapply through the normal planning application processes to the County Council. This would normally involve that a public notice would be posted/nailed to a prominent position at the exterior of the site facing onto the public road outlining the building’s new proposed purpose???
    Have I missed something here…perhaps with a sneaked-in legislative change for so-called ‘emergency accommodation’
    …er …how would one define an ‘emergency’ in terms of a timeframe?
    – with the future occupants of direct provision centres usually languishing in this limbo for many years
    – even decades!

    8
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    Mute Laughable
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    Feb 20th 2020, 7:31 PM

    Ahh well blame the yanks, Brits and Russians for their pathetic show of muscle for most of that.

    15
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