Fingal County Council plans to rezone lands that were once home to Dublin’s largest landfill, transforming the area into a significant urban quarter capable of accommodating thousands of new homes, reports RTE.
The local authority has indicated that over 1,000 acres in the Dunsink region, situated between Finglas and Blanchardstown, hold the potential to develop into an entirely new town.
However, Pavee Point has expressed worries about the future of three sites in the vicinity, which currently house more than 100 Traveller families, reports RTE.
From the 1970s through to the 1990s, Dunsink served as the main dump for the capital and was also home to a substantial number of Traveller families living nearby.
The landfill ceased accepting waste approximately 30 years ago, after which it was capped, covered, and placed under ongoing monitoring by the local authority, now in what is termed the “aftercare phase” of landfill management, reports RTE.
Late last year, Fingal County Council revealed intentions to rezone more than 1,000 acres surrounding Dunsink to establish a major new urban quarter, with the capacity for thousands of homes and an initial phase featuring 2,500 units, reports RTE.
Should the proposals move forward, this location—just 7km from Dublin city centre—would surpass the size of several more recent developments in the capital, such as Adamstown and Clonburris.
Róisín Burke, Director of Services for Planning and Development at Fingal County Council, highlighted the significant opportunities the area presents, reports RTE.
“It’s a real opportunity to create a new town. It’s going to provide social, affordable and private homes, and then alongside that, all the necessary community and physical infrastructure you’d expect.
“Educational facilities, community facilities, employment opportunities, so it’s a really exciting opportunity for us to bring forward a new urban quarter so close to Dublin city centre,” Ms Burke said, reports RTE.
Nevertheless, the Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre has pointed out that the roughly 100 Travellers still residing at Dunsink have not been involved in discussions about the proposals.
Martin Collins, Co-Director of the organisation, emphasised that the longstanding presence of Travellers in the Dunsink area must be recognised and woven into any future plans, reports RTE.
Travellers first arrived in the area 55 years ago, in 1972.
“I personally lived in the area for almost 16 years, and back in the day, when people didn’t have much, there was a great community spirit among the Traveller families here. The dump just above the road, which is decommissioned in 2003, many of us lived off that dump for years.
“I personally picked that dump, collecting a little bit of scrap, second-hand bits and pieces for the Hill Market and to be quite honest with you, it fed many of us,” Mr Collins said, reports RTE.
“My concern is there’s a bit of an information vacuum. There has been no consultation with the Traveller residents, and there is three official designated Traveller sites in Dunsink Lane.
“We don’t know what the potential implications for those sites will be, and there is a real concern in the area that the Traveller families will be displaced to effectively make room for the settlers,” he said, reports RTE.
“The three sites in the area, two are in badly need of upgrade and refurbishment.
“There is obviously need for additional accommodation units, and we would hope and expect that of the 2,500 housing development that some of those units will be allocated to the Traveller families as well, reports RTE.
“We want to be consulted, and it’s only by having a partnership approach and the full integration, the proper and effective integration of the three Traveller sites into the overall proposed development for Dunsink, can we have a vibrant, diverse and an inclusive community. And really, that should be the collective ambition of all of us,” Mr Collins added, reports RTE.
Ms Burke stated that Fingal County Council is fast-tracking the Dunsink project following a request from the Minister for Housing for local authorities to identify additional land for housing, and that engagement with local communities will take place.
“Dunsink was considered a long term proposal, and we’re releasing it from that long term designation and bringing it forward for development in the much shorter term,” reports RTE.
“What’s out for comment at the moment is step one. We’ll be publishing a detailed plan around Dunsink in the coming months, and we’ll be linking in with all major stakeholders, including the Travellers themselves around that and trying to find solutions that work for everyone and all the stakeholders in the site,” she said, reports RTE.
“We’re not building on the landfill itself. We’re building beside the landfill. The landfill itself offers a huge opportunity to become a public open space. So it’s going to be public green area, open space and a recreational hub, so it will provide walks, trails, pitches and all sorts of recreational facilities for the existing population and the future one aswell,” Ms Burke said, reports RTE.
Among those supportive of the plans is the local horse and pony club, which currently looks after around 120 animals on the grounds of the former dump that is designated for future recreational purposes.
Colm Kiernan, Chair of St Joseph’s Horse and Pony Club in Finglas West, mentioned that he has received assurances the club will be included in any forthcoming development at Dunsink, reports RTE.
“Hopefully Fingal County Council will look after us, build stables for us, as there’s a huge horse culture going back generations. I’ve been told by Fingal that they’re going to cater for the horse project so I’ll take their word for that,” Mr Kiernan said, reports RTE.
Fingal County Council has indicated that a comprehensive development plan for the area is expected to be released before the summer.
The ongoing public consultation regarding the redesignation of lands at Dunsink, along with the rezoning of several other sites for housing within the Fingal region, remains open until 29 January, reports RTE.
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