COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

QUESTION NO. 11

QUESTION: Councillor J. Lahart

"To ask the Manager to present an update report on the proposed refurbishment of Pearse Brother maisonettes with a timescale for same?"

REPLY:

The Council’s housing stock contains 18 ‘maisonette’-type units at Pearse Brothers Park and a further 4 units at Palmer Park which adjoin them. 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.

The Council’s Architectural Services Department has carried out an assessment of the dwellings and submitted a proposal to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to carry out significant upgrading works to achieve a significant improvement in the thermal comfort/living conditions of the residents. The Department has given approval to these proposed works but we are awaiting the formal approval to go to tender.

The current projected timetable is for the works to go out to tender at the end of June 2011. It is our expectation that the successful tenderer will be in a position to commence on-site in September 2011 and the estimated duration of the works is 10 – 12 months.

The Council is currently seeking assurances from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government that any funding not drawn down in 2011 in relation to this scheme will be made available to the Council next year to cover expenditure incurred in 2012.