COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, July 11, 2022

QUESTION NO. 14

QUESTION: Councillor C. O'Connor

To ask the Chief Executive to update the Council on the Travellers Accommodation Programme and will he make a statement? 

REPLY:

The Traveller Accommodation Programme (TAP) 2019-2024 was adopted by the Elected Members in July 2019. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) are currently preparing guidelines which will issue shortly in relation to the mid-term review of progress under the current TAP. Once the midterm review is completed, the Council will present a report to the elected members. Any amendments to the proposed accommodation programme must then be made within seven months.

Four sites were prioritised to be progressed in the current TAP for construction/redevelopment works to provide long-term, sustainable Traveller Accommodation in the County including:

Fonthill Road:

Following the statutory public consultation process and consideration of the Chief Executive’s Report on same, the Part 8 planning application for the proposed development of a new Traveller group housing at Fonthill Road was approved by the Elected Members of the Council on 13th June 2022.

Subject to a road safety audit in response to submissions received under the Part, planning is underway for the commencement of construction of this development later this year which will be built as part of meeting the Part V commitments for the developer of the adjoining land.  The development will be located off the N4/Fonthill Road North slip-road in Palmerstown West, Co. Dublin, and will comprise seven group houses as follows:

All the proposed homes will have a minimum A3 Building Energy Rating (BER) and are orientated to face each other within a small cul-de-sac with a landscaped strip to reduce the impact of the slip-road and increase amenity.  The design and placement of the homes reflect family arrangements following consultation with the extended family grouping who are intended to occupy the development and car-parking is provided within the curtilage of the homes. Associated works include a new vehicular access road and pedestrian access steps off the N4/Fonthill Road North slip-road, boundary walls, landscaping works to boundaries, all necessary associated drainage and utilities works and ancillary works to landscape housing areas, and on the site and adjacent areas.

Adamstown SDZ

The delivery of the first Traveller accommodation development under the Adamstown SDZ is scheduled for Q4 2022 with six group homes currently under construction.  This is being delivered through the Part V obligations of a private developer.  Further engagement has also now commenced with landowners in relation to proposals to deliver the remaining required Traveller accommodation within the SDZ.

Redevelopment of Owendoher Haven

Individual consultation meetings have been completed with all households on the site in relation to the proposed site redevelopment.  Proposals for two-storey homes as part of the redevelopment were widely welcomed by residents and our Architectural Services Departments are working to finalise designs based on this feedback along with household housing needs and preferences.  The updated proposed design will then be presented to residents before progressing to Part 8 public consultation.

Redevelopment of Oldcastle Park

Eleven of thirteen scheduled consultation meetings with individual households and extended family groupings have been completed in relation to the proposed redevelopment of Oldcastle Park with the final proposed consultation meetings scheduled in the coming days.  The inputs from these meetings will inform the final design. It should be noted that there are two households refusing to engage in the process at all.  While their housing needs will be incorporated into the final redevelopment proposals, their specific accommodation preferences may not be accurately reflected, and this could lead to potential delays with the overall project if they continue to refuse to engage.

Allocations to Casual Vacancies in Traveller Accommodation & Standard Social Housing

In addition, the TAP cited the potential for casual vacancies in both Traveller specific accommodation and standard social housing as a key part of meeting the housing needs of Traveller households.  To date under the current TAP, 18 Traveller households have been allocated casual vacancies in Traveller specific accommodation with several additional Traveller households having been separately been allocated standard social housing from private rented or other accommodation (exact figures are not confirmed due to the lack of a specific prior ethnic identifier for standard social housing applications)in relation prior other accommodation along with 27 Traveller households having transferred to standard social housing from Traveller-specific accommodation.

Meeting Medical & Other Housing Needs in Traveller Specific Accommodation

Three specially adapted medical chalets have been provided to date under the current TAP to meet the accommodation needs of households with medical priority in existing Traveller accommodation developments and two further such bespoke chalets are currently under construction.  Ten caravan/mobile homes have also been provided to families uinder COVID-19 or other  emergency measures and fifteen households have also been approved for new mobile homes under the Council's pilot caravan/mobile home loan scheme in conjunction with the DHLGH.