COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

HEADED ITEM NO. 17

REFURBISHMENT OF FLATS AT PEARSE BROTHERS PARK

The Council’s housing stock contains 18 ‘maisonette’-type units at Pearse Brothers Park and a further 4 units at Palmer Park which adjoin the 18 units at Pearse Brothers Park. The 18 units at Pearse Brothers Park are over 50 years old and the 4 units at Palmer Park are over 40 years old. Therefore, these dwellings are some of the oldest in the Council’s social housing portfolio.

The four units at Palmer Park are contained within one stand-alone building. The 18 units at Pearse Brothers Park are dispersed throughout 3 ‘L-Shaped’ buildings which also include houses that are privately owned.

Following on from the discussion following the presentation of Headed Item No. 4 at February’s Rathfarnham Area Committee Meeting, members of the Council’s Housing and Architectural Services Department visited two of the maisonettes to examine the condition of same.

Both tenants reported that their primary concern was the difficulty in retaining the heat within their homes and the financial impact this was having on them in terms of heating bills. Both units were in good decorative order and had Gas Fired Central Heating Systems. Both tenants were keen to stay in their homes and were unenthusiastic about transferring to alternative accommodation.

A possible solution to the problem of retaining heat in these properties would be an energy upgrade programme rather than a full refurbishment of the properties. This would entail the application of external insulation and the replacement of the current windows with PVC double glazing. This would have significantly less of a cost implication than a refurbishment programme.

It is proposed to initiate a full survey of the residents to ascertain whether their preferences are to transfer out or to remain in situ. The Council will also continue its efforts to source funding to address the problems in respect of heat retention that are currently being experienced.