Homeless families will not be able to move into the modular homes under construction in Ballymun before Christmas as originally intended, Dublin City Council has confirmed.
The Ballymun scheme is the first of a number of modular housing developments planned as a response to the growing problem of homelessness in the city.
The council has blamed protests at the site at Balbutcher Lane three weeks ago for a seven-day delay which has made it impossible for the 22 units to be completed by the scheduled date of December 21st. The site was picketed in the last week in November in support of the CTSL co-op, which has planning permission for 40 homes on the site chosen for modular housing.
Protesters blocked Western Building Systems, which was awarded the €4.2 million contract for the Ballymun pre-fabricated homes, from entering the site on November 26th. The following day CTSL asked the protesters to end the blockade to allow talks with the council, but workers did not return to the site until the following week.
Speaking the night before work resumed, Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly said despite the delays the 22 houses would be ready for Christmas. However speaking on the Marian Finucane show on RTÉ radio last Saturday Mr Kelly said “some” of the 22 houses would be available by Christmas.
“I’m confident that a certain volume of the units will be in place, and will be in place before Christmas. We wanted to get the 22 there before Christmas and we’ll get as many as we can given the delay. My information is that we will get some of them there before Christmas.”
However the council said on Friday the houses at the site, which has recently been named Baile na Laochra, will not be available until mid-January.
Threats
It said the workers on the site had been subjected to serious threats.
“The contractor’s security staff were threatened by persons unknown wearing balaclavas. They were told to go back to the North or their machinery would be burned out. Due to health and safety concerns the contractors removed staff from the site,” the council said.
“The protesters continued their protest on the site on Friday 27th of November and the contractor informed DCC [Dublin City Council] of further threats and intimidation. He was told by the protesters should he attempt to proceed with any works at the site there would be an additional 150 protesters on the site and his machinery would be burnt out. This threat was taken very seriously and the contractor removed all staff and plant from the site on the afternoon of Friday 27th November.”
The contractor did return to the site on December 3rd, but did not recommence work because of bad weather, the council said. The delay was “completely outside of the council’s control”.
It said the contractor had asked to be allowed to complete the project “accordance with his original phasing” taking into account the week-long absence from the site and Christmas holidays.
“The housing modules are progressing apace at the factory in accordance with the contract requirements and should the project proceed as requested units will be ready for occupation by mid-January,” the council said.
The contractor had been willing to provide some of the units before Christmas, but the council felt there was too much risk in incomplete units “being left to the elements” over the Christmas holiday period.
It said: “Any such risk would have to be borne by the council and would not be of any to benefit to the homeless families we all wish to help.”
