Housing & Planning

Regeneration of Dorset Street flats to be completed by end of 2026, council says

Existing flats set to be demolished and 163 new homes constructed on Dorset Street Upper

The flats at Dorset Street Upper which are set to be demolished. Photograph: Tom Honan

Sarah Burns
Mon May 13 2024 - 17:03

The regeneration of flat complexes on Dorset Street Upper in Dublin’s north inner city is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, Dublin City Council (DCC) has said.

Work is expected to begin on the site, located between Dominic Street Upper and St Mary’s Place, “shortly”, with the existing blocks to be demolished and 163 new homes constructed.

It is understood there are two residents still living in the complex and they are about to accept offers of alternative accommodation from the local authority.

The project is being funded by the Department of Housing, with more than €80 million secured, DCC said, adding that the development will include a multi-use creche space, commercial unit and cafe space.

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“Dublin City Council is aware of the existing residents and alternative homes have been identified,” a spokeswoman for the council said. “We envisage starting on the site shortly with the delivery of the new homes expected for Q4 2026.”

Tenants of the Dorset Street flats were provided with alternative accommodation for the advancement of the project, while the old fire station on the site, which currently houses a boxing club, will not be demolished, the council said.

Local Independent councillor Nial Ring said the flat complexes, which were originally built in the 1960s, had been earmarked for regeneration for “at least” 10 years.

“It’s a long time in the making,” Mr Ring said. “Once the antisocial guys see a place being de-tenanted, they tend to congregate around the stairwells. At the same time, the people who are there still have to go about living their normal lives. They’ve no neighbours left and the old days of having a chat over the balcony is gone.”

The flats at Dorset Street Upper that are set to be demolished. Photograph: Tom Honan

St Saviour's Olympic Boxing Academy on Dorset Street Upper. The old fire station, which currently houses a boxing club, will not be demolished, Dublin City Council said. Photograph: Tom Honan

Sinn Féin councillor Séamus McGrattan added it was “frustrating” the process had taken so long, and that the issue of antisocial behaviour there had been raised regularly at joint policing committees.

“Because of the nature of the site, it’s an enclosed site and there’s different ways in and out of it – it can be difficult to police,” Mr McGrattan said.

“We’re all anxious to get it moving as there is a lot of antisocial behaviour, drug-dealing going on there, so we’re trying to get it moving and get the last residents out and get it knocked… Because it’s sort of semi-derelict, there’s not the usual footfall you would get in a flat complex, so different groups have moved in… It’s not nice for the residents who are left there to be living with that on your doorstep.”

[ Developers, architects and builders must incorporate carbon reduction measures into construction ]

DCC’s most senior architect, Ali Grehan, told councillors last year that demolishing substandard flat complexes for regeneration was going be “harder and harder to justify” under new EU energy directives.

Ms Grehan said new rules on “whole-life carbon” in updated EU Energy Performance of Buildings directives will make it difficult to demolish and rebuild existing homes and still meet carbon emissions targets.

Sarah Burns

Sarah Burns

Sarah Burns is a reporter for The Irish Times

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