COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 13, 2021

QUESTION NO.24

QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons

To ask the Chief Executive for a detailed report into planned step down accommodation in SDCC, when will part 8s be brought to council and what Part 8s are planned going forward by electoral area?

REPLY:

As outlined during the process of adoption of the County Age Friendly Strategy in late 2020, people in Ireland are living longer and healthier lives due to improvements in healthcare and lifestyles.  Census data and demographics for South Dublin show projected housing need for older people in the future as well as almost 900 current applications from persons aged 55+.

The Council's recent adoption of a new County Age Friendly Strategy and a subsequent Policy for Rightsizing and Allocation of Age Friendly Accommodation is predicated both on the growing need but also on significant research on underoccupancy and rightsizing as well as the development of best practice in design of age friendly accommodation by our Age Friendly Housing Technical Specialist in conjunction with Age Friendly Ireland. The policy development is underpinned by a commitment to support older people living in their communities for longer and an associated commitment to deliver a range of such age friendly housing developments across the County, complemented by specific and tailored supports.

This was clearly signalled at the Council meeting in September 2020 when the County Age Friendly Strategy was adopted, with a supporting presentation on age friendly housing developments, signalling five initial sites, three of which are subject to current Part 8 proposals and a further two for which designs will be progressed at Deansrath/Melrose and Alpine Heights.  In addition, we are examining several more sites across the County to deliver on the policy commitments outlined above.   However, conscious of the issues emerging in the current consultations for the Part 8s,  we will review the approach to site selection and design for future sites in conjunction with the Housing Strategic Policy Committee before we return to local Area Committees with additional proposals for age friendly housing developments.