Urban Renewal: Dublin City Council invited submissions yesterday for a €150 million redevelopment of St Michael's Estate in Inchicore.
The 14-acre site will eventually include 700 residential units, community facilities and commercial retail space. The ambitious undertaking includes the original 11-acre St Michael's residential site plus three acres to the front facing onto Emmet Road near the centre of Inchicore.
It is a prime Dublin 8 location close to extensive redevelopment going on opposite Kilmainham Jail and other nearby residential schemes. The council hopes the development, as planned, will change the housing mix in Inchicore, said assistant city manager and project sponsor for the St Michael's development, Brendan Kenny. "We feel there is no point going for redevelopment of St Michael's itself. We want to make sure it integrates into Inchicore," Mr Kenny explained. "It is part of our objective to change the social mix."
The estate has been controversial over the years, Mr Kenny admitted. The estate originally had 350 flats in blocks with a maximum of eight storeys. Five of the original blocks have now been demolished and only 43 flats remain occupied, he said.
"Many of the tenants of St Michael's Estate have decided to move to other parts of the city," he stated, some to nearby developments at Goldenbridge and at Bulfin Road. This has happened over the past five to six years, although there had been some reluctance for tenants to move away.
It may now be possible for the remaining tenants to continue residing at St Michael's by moving into the new accommodation when it arrives, he added. "We are hoping people won't have to move at all."
The council believes it may be able to take elements of the successful submission and develop them first to provide the accommodation needed. The shape of the new St Michael's will depend very much on the submissions made to the council, Mr Kenny said.
"These will be shortlisted to five and we will look for more detailed submissions by September or October."
The council set up a regeneration board for the development, chaired by Finbarr Flood. It includes estate residents and representatives from Inchicore and from the council, Mr Kenny said.
"It was agreed the 11 acres should have 575 residential units maximum. Of that 575, 150 will be social housing, 70 will be affordable housing and the remainder will be private," he stated.
"On the three acres at the front we are looking at 120 to 125 additional units," he added, bringing the total to about 700 residential units. Obviously we are expecting to get some submissions for retail at the front and community facilities have to go in as well."
Building height will be an issue there. "Many people in Inchicore are opposed to height," he said. "We will keep it at five storeys but so long as we can get in the 575 units and still allow for green space. We want to see a development that will stand the test of time," he added.
"We will be building a family resource centre there," and the council may move the local library down to the site from its current location on Emmet Road near South Circular Road.
There is also a strong historical and heritage aspect to the site, Mr Kenny added. It stretches all the way from Emmet Road back to the Grand Canal and includes both the Goldenbridge graveyard and also the CBS college.
"It is a historic area. We want to make sure to give a historical context to it."
Further details are available from Claire Feeney, Project Management Unit, Dublin City Council, Block 1, Floor 1, Civic Offices, Fishamble Street, Dublin 8, or by email to claire.feeney@dublincity.ie or by phone at (01) 2223691.
