Rosita Bolandgoes in search of a 'community' in a new north Co Dublin housing development, but finds some residents don't believe there is one.
From the Airside Retail Park near Swords in north Co Dublin you can see across the rise to Holywell, a vast and growing housing development that now sprawls over some 80 acres. Airside itself is also huge, a hulk of furniture and hardware outlets: B&Q, Atlantic Homecare, the Carpet Showroom, Diamond Living, Leather Sofas. The retail park faces a string of new and second-hand car dealerships. You could furnish your house here and buy a car to put in front of it, but you wouldn't be able to buy a pint of milk to put in your new fridge: there aren't any grocery shops in sight or within walking distance.
Built in different phases since 2002, named Feltrim Hall, Gorse Hill and Abbeystone, the developments have now collectively been renamed Holywell. The feeder road to the M1 motorway runs through the development, which is flanked on all sides by prominent signs for showhouses from the newest phase of building, with the accompanying slogan "Quality Homes in an Outstanding Location".
The outstanding location does not yet have a single shop on its 80-acre site. Shops, a pharmacy, creche, primary school and playground were all on the plans, but none have yet been built.
Although each phase of the development was given a different name, there is not one obvious distinguishing feature between the three parts. Even the signs bearing the three original names were all recently removed.
Every building is painted the same off-white colour, with the same PVC windows, and built in the same style. The roads are all variations on the same name: Holywell Road, Drive, Place, Gardens, Heath, Wood, Park, Walk, Square, Court. At the time of the last election, this area was all fields.
It's mid-morning on a weekday and it's pretty easy to work out which houses are currently occupied. Those with blinds down and no car outside do not respond to a knock. Those with blinds up and a car outside do, although virtually everyone who opens their door to me first goes through a long process inside of unlocking and unbolting.
"When this development was sold to us originally, we were told there was to be a primary school, a creche, playground and shops," Fiona Britton says. She bought a two-bed house here a year ago. "I thought I was buying into a certain lifestyle, but I've seen nothing of it so far. We paid for a certain address here: I thought I was buying into Kinsealy. If it turns out to be Swords - because they keep changing the name of the development - I'll be pissed off."
ACCORDING TO ESTATE agents Hamilton Osborne King, which has been selling the development for the Albany Group since its launch, there are 1,200 units on site - a mix of apartments, duplexes and houses. However, it might seem to the visitor as if there are far more, probably since the development is largely low-level. Not even the residents are sure how many housing units are in Holywell, let alone what the population of the development is.
"How many people live here at Holywell? I'd say about 14,000," Britton estimates. "I think there are 6,000 units."
Last month, Latvian woman Baiba Saulite was murdered at her front door in this development. Britton mentions her name several times. "She lived closer to me than other neighbours do at home in Monaghan, but I didn't know her. I didn't know her, and it's terrible to say this - but how could I really say I cared about her? I was far more affected by the deaths of the five boys who died in Threemilehouse recently. Back home in Monaghan, that is where my real community is, even though I live in Holywell."
Britton has, until now, kept her vote in Monaghan because she wants to help keep the hospital there open. For the next election, she is considering transferring her vote to Dublin, because she is so exercised about the poor transport, saying there is only one bus an hour.
"It's much easier to improve transport immediately by putting more buses on a big route than digging a hole under the city for a metro. If there was a quality bus service, people would use it. But if you're going to work, who's going to depend on a bus that only comes once an hour?"
Although the bus service is so infrequent - or perhaps because of it - the poor transport doesn't seem to exercise too many other residents. Perhaps they've just given up. Many report that they have cars and could not possibly live here otherwise, and that they now take commuting for granted.
"No, there are no shops here and we were promised them, but I have a car, so I drive to get everything I need," says Laura Tipper, who has been living in Gorse Hill since February. She has never used the bus service. "What I want are the roads to be finished here, they're in a brutal state."
Chris Kelly, his wife and young family have been living in the development since March. Their vote is still in their old location: they haven't changed it yet. He looks across to a high wall opposite their house. "We were told there was supposed to be a primary school built on the other side of that. There is nothing there yet. Why do developers always build housing first and facilities much later?"
When I mention the word "community" to Kelly, he looks blank. "I don't know anyone here," he responds frankly. "I don't even know our neighbours on either side of us."
SOME DOORS DOWN from Kelly's house, two cars with Cork registrations are parked outside a duplex apartment block. Each of them have plaits of red and white wool twisted around their internal mirrors: a declaration of loyalty to a place and a community that is far from here.
Stephen Donnelly bought his house at Feltrim Hall on launch day two years ago, and has seen the other phases of the development go up around him since. "There are about 10,000 units here now," he says. "About 15,000 people live here now." The poor public transport doesn't bother him, because he never uses it. He's annoyed, though, that the internal roads in the development aren't finished, and that the street lighting is erratic. He's registered to vote here, and will be doing so.
Donnelly bought his three-bed house for €300,000 in 2004 and says it is now worth €460,000. "I will be watching closely to see what happens with stamp duty. A lot of people here will be selling on, and stamp duty for first-time buyers is a huge issue, especially as prices in this development have gone up so much."
Does he see himself remaining in Holywell for the long-term? Donnelly considers. "People don't make plans for life any more, do they? They might plan for 10 years at most, but no more."
Joe Hogan, en route from his van to apartment, is the only person I meet who is renting at Holywell.
"Am I registered to vote? Why, is there an election coming up?" He's not joking. What does he think of Holywell as a community? Hogan laughs. "This place isn't a community. The only community we have these days is inside our houses or when we're out with our friends."