FUNDING ‘REMAINS IN place’ for the regeneration of Oliver Bond House, but Dublin City Council must revise its proposal, the Department of House told an Oireachtas housing committee today.

Dublin City Councillors from across the political spectrum condemned the government’s decision to halt the planned regeneration of Oliver Bond House, warning it risks abandoning residents living in “barely habitable” conditions.

An emergency motion on the issue was brought before Dublin City Council by Labour councillor Darragh Moriarty yesterday evening, following the Department of Housing’s decision last week to withdraw funding for the regeneration.

The modernising works were to focus on three of the 14 blocks at Oliver Bond House, but the department said that while it supported large-scale works to bring the ageing homes up to standard, it stressed that it could not back work that would result in a loss of 28 homes.

‘Unequivocally’ 

Today, a spokesperson for the Department of Housing told the committee that funding for the regeneration “unequivocally” remains in place.

“The Department of Housing has not refused regeneration funding for Oliver Bond House. It certainly has not withdrawn any funding for this flat complex,” they said in opening statements.

“At this stage, Dublin City Council has simply been asked to submit a revised proposal in line with the regeneration policy requirement that there should be no significant reduction in homes post-regeneration without adequate justification and where homes must be lost, these losses should be minimised.”

They said the regeneration of Oliver Bond House is “clearly a hugely important issue for its residents and the wider community”.

Oliver Bond House flats, built in 1936 in the Liberties, house around 1,200 people across almost 400 flats. Residents have long raised concerns over damp, mould, overcrowding and poor living conditions.

Speaking to the committee today, Gayle Cullen-Doyle, a resident of Oliver Bond House, said that residents are experiencing dampness and visible mould growth, poor ventilation and inadequate insulation, overcrowding and structural deterioration of buildings and delayed or insufficient maintenance responses.

“The conditions in Oliver Bond Flats represent a failure to provide safe, healthy, and
dignified housing,” she said.

“The impact on residents, particularly children, is severe and ongoing. This is not just a housing issue, it is a public health issue, a child welfare issue, and a matter of basic human dignity.”

She said that the current state of Oliver Bond House would be a “hundred times worse” if it wasn’t for the ongoing efforts of residents’ group.

“We have invested substantial time [of] all our lives, our energy, and care into maintaining our homes and community.”

She said reports of a withdrawal of funding left many feeling their “efforts have been undermined and that progress has been set back significantly”.