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BEECH HILL TERRACE is a fairly short road in Donnybrook.
When Dublin Corporation developed the estate in the 1950s, it built 10 houses along one side and five on the other
However, if you stand in the middle of the road now, you will see five new Dublin City Council homes built about eight years ago, nine new affordable homes built five years ago and there are four privately built houses there too.
In addition, this month families’ 19 new social housing apartments were completed there too.
With so many homes built in this one small area, you might think that Beach Hill Terrace is a success story of the housing crisis.
But those 19 social homes allocated to families this month are the only new social housing units provided this year in the entire constituency of Dublin Bay South – which happens to be the Minister for Housing, Eoghan Murphy’s own constituency.
What is worse is that it took us eight years to complete those homes.
Despite the fact that the 19 social homes were built on land owned by Dublin City Council and that there were no planning objections it still took us eight years to get from the point of coming up with the plan to tenants moving in.
This is simply unacceptable and I believe is a direct result of the failed institution that is the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and of successive government policies.
Choking in Bureaucracy
The delays were entirely at a bureaucratic and administrative level.
We started with seeking funding: years were spent applying to the Capital Assistance Scheme or the Capital Advance Leasing Facility or the Capital Loan Subsidy Scheme.
Then for several more years, the plans were passed between multiple desks waiting for decisions – that is years of paper moving from the Approved Housing Body to Dublin City Council and then to the Department of Housing Planning and Local Government.
Eight wasted years when people could have had a home – but did not.
Why or how does this happen? Is it inertia, arrogance or is it about clinging to power?
The minister and the officials in the Department of housing claim to be concerned about the housing crisis. Yet they desperately cling on to the power that delays, obstructs and interferes with the actual building of homes.
All of this is allied to a systematic dismantling of the local government system.
That system delivered hundreds of thousands of new quality homes, in far worse economic times, back when it did have the power, resources and funds to deliver.
The Department of Housing claims to have a four-stage process for approval. (It made a great fuss recently of going from eight stages of approval to four stages.)
What it doesn’t tell you is that within each stage there are many other stages and indeed when it comes to using an Approved Housing Body – the Department’s preferred method of housing delivery – those stages are multiplied.
Things change with building projects and another major holdup is that any time there is any change, the new plans have to go back to each of the three bodies for approval. The Approved Housing Body, the council and then finally back to the Department of Housing.
Why can the Council’s planners not just give it approval? Why do we need three sets of planners and architects?
Solutions
Every political representative from an area which is affected by housing shortages should look to Beach Hill Terrace, where we did the painstaking work of getting the project funded and built.
If every parish or community in Dublin was to deliver just 20 social homes each, that could provide 7,000 homes across the county.
Is there a vacant piece of State-owned land in your area? Contact your local representative and demand to know what they are doing about getting housing built there.
The real key to solving the mess is simply to free the councils to build homes again.
If the council was given a budget to build a certain amount of houses, say 5,000 in 2019, they could actually start construction in the same year.
The dead hand of departmental bureaucracy must be removed.
The Minister for Housing has repeatedly stated that money is not a problem but if that is that is true then why aren’t the council’s employment caps on planners, architects, quantity surveyors and skilled craftspersons lifted?
Councils should be able to refurbish empty social housing immediately and pass it on to another family, but currently, we don’t have the staff to do that.
Bizarrely the Department of Housing still dictates that councils must return each home to its original condition before re-allocating it. So if the old tenants put down oak floors the council has to spend time and money ripping them up and replacing them with standard flooring.
All homes are not the same so why should all social housing be the same? Same doors, same windows, same colours, same internal layout.
I believe this has always been an incredibly wasteful policy, but nowadays when so many new social homes are being delivered by private developers social housing is no longer standardised, so the continuation of this policy is senseless.
Councils should be the enablers of local housing co-operatives and voluntary housing associations. Rules that inhibit local housing co-operatives in favour of the larger housing associations must also be removed.
Housing co-ops have proven they can deliver quality housing cheaply in Dublin: why on earth are we not utilising them?
The Credit Unions also want to invest in local housing too, but the Department of Housing lacks the vision to bring them on board.
The State needs to stop blocking housing at every turn and start supporting the delivery of social and affordable housing.
Ireland did it before, in much worse economic times. We can do it again.
Dermot Lacey is a Labour councillor for the Pembroke-Rathmines Ward on Dublin City Council.
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Fianna Gael, the neo-liberal party, are ideologically opposed to cheap housing. They cannot bring themselves to do it. And this is not ‘free houses’ for the ‘free house brigade’. Only the gullible are eating up that government propaganda. These are houses that are needed by the hard working middle and working classes. The housing protests are mainly about these people, the squeezed middle, the working classes who after working forty plus hours a week still cannot have their own home or even rent. We also saw during the week that the rich will be getting richer after the new tax regime was analysed, the middle and lower classes hit again. It’s a shameful indictment of this government and their supporters.
@TheHeathen: Wonderfully said.
@TheHeathen: obviously someone who hasn’t been too beech hill terrace… it’s like when you finally give councils a chance to build, they build grandiose council houses in the middle of centrally positioned old council estates for, apparently, middle aged taxi drivers to live. compare this to similar old council estates in dun laoghaire, where they were privately knocked and residents rehoused in medium density units, increasing the housing stock by multiples. is seems that Lacey is trying to blame a minister with national remit (albeit not delivering with the CAS) for his council not getting things done, and blaming everybody else.
@TheHeathen: They’re opposed to sink estates
@TheHeathen: Very well put. There’s no will in this government for proper social housing,it abhors them.
Imagine if Labour had the housing ministry how different things could be…..Oh wait!
@Richie Stanford: Nevertheless, the article provides useful insights. I note how I have heard Eoghan Murphy blaming Councils recently, it’s helpful to know what is going wrong.
@Richie Stanford:2011-2014 when TOTAL housing stock increased by just 0.4%(8,800)& homelessness grew by 81%(CSO).In 2014 there were 700 homeless children now there are 3700 homeless children ie 428%!!.
Ireland has National emergencies in Homelessness&Housing&needs URGENT attention!There’s 70,000 HOUSEHOLDS+ on social housing waiting lists&many other people on other housing lists/housing supports including workers.Even those on higher salaries find rents a struggle&can’t buy even though paying a mortgage would be more than €1000 less a month.
Ireland’s population is estimated to grow by 1.75m over next 33years,&if an adequate amt of housing not built now then what hope the extra 1.75m of population will be housed or in secure tenancies particularly when the next downturn happens!
@Richie Stanford: Labour’s man was there for 2 years. And as much as I loath Alan Kelly he did have a major dispute with Michael Noonan in Finance about the control of housing stock. FFG want expensive housing. It suits there major donors. FG are in complete control of housing since 2011. The department of Finance hold all the strings.
And THIS is why we having a housing crisis not because of greedy landlords or Airbnb or any other BS the government tries to sell us. Government incompetence.
He makes some good points but labour can never be trusted again
Labour backed FG in government. they had a chance to make a real change in irish politics.
Cue the “Why should anyone get a free house when anyone on minimum wages can easilybuy one if they just work their asses off 600 hours a week like me” brigade.
@John Hazelnut: cue the “everything should be free” brigade.
@John Hazelnut: Spot on those who choose to get up every day for little more than the spongers get the same treatment as the spongers, this is led by Leo and his posh chums , pure ignorance…
FG and FF the same party both completely incompetent.There is no possibility they will sort out the housing crisis homeless crisis health crisis or any other crisis.Between the two of them they have managed to destroy this country over the last couple of decades.
They are always only interested in the next election neither make decisions for the good of the people in this country.we need to get rid of both of them in the next election.They are completely toxic.
@Tom’s: They are not incompetent at all, they are keeping the rotten system in place which is exactly what they want, nothing will ever change as long as we keep voting them in. It will be just more corruption, more ripoffs, more scandals, more jobs for the boys, more cover-ups and on and on
They don’t want to build homes they want to build rentals for their rich friends to rent out .everything thing else is smoke and boxxox.. I will tell u 1 thing il never vote for FF or fg again
@Michael Nolan: nor I
Incompetence is the reason. But it’s very expensive for the taxpayers and devastating for those in need and there’s no desire to sort it out.
@Mick Barnier: There was a time when workers got raises in their wages. and tax was used to create council houses, water, bins, etc. FG are in too much of a hurry to sell off ireland
@Mick Barnier: Stop with this “incompetence”. FFG are the most competent government the country has ever seen when it comes to looking their interests.
Just look at 1.9 billion tax free for vultures and PTSB.
@Dave Doyle: “FFG are the most competent government the country has ever seen”
Good man, Dave. Leo will be delighted with you.
@Chin Feeyin: You left out the important bit. Typical FG spin.
@Chin Feeyin: you totally missed his point
@Chin Feeyin: read the last line — (its called sarcasm )
I know of a 3 bedroomed council house where the former tenants put in a new kitchen and left the house in pristine condition . 5 years later it was still vacant and when eventually they got round to it the Council ripped out the kitchen and put in another one.
I know of another small one story semi detached bungalow type house that went on fire 2 years ago . It’s still there untouched. Both of these houses are in the middle of villages.
@Aine O Connor: i know of 6 houses newly built with state of the art kitchens ,solar panels , low energy heating systems and all the latest gadgets bells and whistles — cost over 1.7 million to build them — and they are still empty !! — because the people who they were built for dont want them !!! now the problem is that because they were built as part of a program for housing ‘an ethnic minority ‘ no one else on the councils waiting list can be offered those houses – so they will remain empty !!! regulations have to be adhered too in these over bureaucratic local authorities !!
Bureaucracy = no accountability
I thought it was the landlord’s fault?
@KerryBlueMike: I thought it was all AirBnB’s fault.
@Chin Feeyin: I thought it was the fault of those who don’t get up early in the morning
@KerryBlueMike: the state are the landlords. Who owns the banks? FFG want expensive property. When the price was falling they thru 100 billion to prop up the price. Now prices are out of the average workers reach they do nothing.
@Chin Feeyin: it,s everybody fault except the government and ministers.
Too many govt dept’s, too many civil service staff waiting for retirement , too much bureaucracy , this is the problem.
@Brian Smith: Its really the only stable gig in town
@Marcus o Dhonnghaile: what about the nativity ? thats a stable gig !!
Lacey is another one with his nose constantly in the trough. He had nothing to say when his hero Alan Kelly did nothing to prevent this crisis. Lacey voted against his party and voted in favour of the privatisation of our waste services. He got made mayor after that. Lacey is not to be taken seriously.
@Frankie Mangan:
There are several falsehooods there.
1) I did raise many issues with Alan Kelly and am delighted that it was he who pushed the Charlemont Development through and indeed his support for the Beech Hill project was crucial.
2) If you look at my published income from DCC during this term I did not seek any of what might be called the “lucrative” roles – despite the fact that I am Group Leader.
3)I did NOT vote for waste services privatization and indeed had my advice been followed it would not have been privatized.
4) I was Mayor before I cast my vote in favour of Waste Charges.
5) Ill leave the decision on whether to take me seriously with the electorate.
@Frankie Mangan:
There are several falsehoods there.
1) I did raise many issues with Alan Kelly and am delighted that it was he who pushed the Charlemont Development through and indeed his support for the Beech Hill project was crucial.
2) If you look at my published income from DCC during this term I did not seek any of what might be called the “lucrative” roles – despite the fact that I am Group Leader.
3)I did NOT vote for waste services privatization and indeed had my advice been followed it would not have been privatized.
4) I was Mayor before I cast my vote in favour of Waste Charges.
5) I’ll leave the decision on whether to take me seriously with the electorate.
Simple solition. Everyones only allowed to own one house at a time.
That used to be the case. Back in the 80s when times were tough and interest rates sky high, local county councils were able to build social housing.
That Phil Hogan has a lot to answer for!
Well after 2008 all the tradesmen left as they couldnt sign on. You were told to F66k Off as you were self employed even though you paid thousands in tax. We didnt have a construction industry. What would you expect ??? Anyone abroad aint coming back in a hurry as there is another dip with Brexit
Get rid of all bedsits, bring in a send tranche of building regulations and make it too expensive to build and I suppose this is what you have going forward.
Is it just me or is this article pursuing the same vein of what appears to be the proliferation of what I regard as. “ The Homeless Industry “ . Where are all these alleged homeless people . Not trolling by the way, a genuine question
Why did it take 7 months to get planning permission for Cherrywood in shankill area – we have a homeless crisis, can they not sit around a table and do it instantly.
palms to be greased – brown envelopes to be sourced , bank notes to be ‘washed’ !!it all takes time !!
Should allow the City and County Councils get on with it
I wouldn’t rely on councils/govt departments to do anything for me. You gotta look after yourself as best as you can and if not, then rely on your family. I remember going into DL county council offices at 9.30 am to pay rates and they didn’t open till 10am! I brought in an important file to another government department in the city centre at 3.30pm on a Friday. Silly me, they were closed.
@Virgil: dont forget closed for lunch between 12 and 2. Its a 4 hr working day in the civil service. Throw in the 25 days annual leave and the “self-certified” sick days and it may even be less than that.
free
And labour party were in government 2011-16 and did not change a thing,they spent their time forcing austerity policies and water charges down the publics throat,dermot getting worried about his future.
Official Ireland is alive and well and looking after it’s own vested interest, i.e. make sure the populace & politicians don,t get above themselves and interfere with iur cosy way of life. It’s time put the PS under deep scrutinyc Come on Paul Murphy, Boyd Barrett & Solidarity PBP; where are you all & your intrepid brigade??
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