COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN, NEWCASTLE, RATHCOOLE, SAGGART AND BRITTAS AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

HEADED ITEM NO.4

HEADED ITEM: E. Leech

Proposed Part 8 Design for Old Castle Park

REPLY:

South Dublin County Council’s Traveller Accommodation Programme (TAP) 2019-2024 proposes to meet some of the accommodation needs of the Travelling Community through a construction and refurbishment programme subject to funding from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The construction and refurbishment programme aims to address any design and provision difficulties at existing sites. Consultation and agreement with the Travellers living on these sites is critical so that an acceptable design for each site is achieved. The assessment identified several families living in halting sites with/without day houses who would like to live in group housing and those that wished to remain in a bay with a day unit. In recognition of this, the Traveller Accommodation Unit proposes to construct/refurbish existing sites to provide long term sustainable Traveller Accommodation Developments.

As part of the process for the redevelopment of the existing site as outlined in the TAP, we have undertaken engagement with the residents of the site, individually and collectively, and through their representatives.

In addition, with the endorsement of the Local Traveller Advisory Consultative Committee (LTACC), we have also engaged CENA: Culturally Appropriate Homes Limited, a Traveller-led approved housing body, to progress an innovative Traveller-centred consultation process to develop the proposals for the demolition and redevelopment of existing Traveller accommodation at Old Castle Park, Clondalkin, Dublin 22.

In addition to delivering accomodation to meet the needs of the Travelling Community our Housing Delivery Action plan 2022-2026 sets out our projected delivery of new build social and affordable purchase homes over the next 5 years.  The County Development plan 2022-2028 aligns with national policy to plan for a more diverse and socially inclusive soceity to improve integration and greater accessibility of sustainable communities.  Our CDP also includes a high level objective to ensure that LA lands zoned  RES/RES N are used to develop housing that is used exclusively for the delivery of social, affordable purchase and cost rental homes. The SDCC owned lands at Oldcastle provide an opportunity to deliver a mixed tenure development which can provide homes for those in need of support.