Jim O'Callaghan
Question:45. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the retrofit works on Pearse House in Dublin 2 will commence. [38289/20]
View answerTuesday, 24 November 2020
Questions (45)
Oral answers (6 contributions)
The Minister of State will be aware of Pearse House. It is one of the largest flat complexes in the inner city and is located in my constituency. Pearse House is located in a fine area but it is in dire need of refurbishment and retrofitting. What are the plans in this regard?
The regular management, maintenance and improvement of local authority housing stock is a matter for each relevant local authority. The Department supports local authorities to improve their social housing stock through a range of funding programmes including energy retrofitting, regeneration and refurbishment works to vacant properties in order to return these to productive use as quickly as possible.
Dubllin City Council has a large stock of social housing and I understand that it has completed a strategic development audit of its 220 apartment complexes in order to develop a programme of works that will feed into its capital housing apartment complex regeneration programme for 2020 to 2040. Regarding Pearse House, I understand that the council is examining the options for improvement works, which includes a protected structure, and is engaged with local elected members to this end. Following this process, it is a matter for the council to bring forward proposals for works and to apply for funding under the relevant social housing programme depending on the nature and scope of works required.
I am absolutely committed to delivering on the programme for Government objectives and, in particular, to increasing the social housing stock by more than 50,000, as outlined by my colleague, with an emphasis on new builds and to progress a State-backed affordable home purchase scheme to promote home ownership. The Government has backed up these objectives in budget 2021, with €3.3 billion in total funding being made available for the delivery of housing programmes. The overall investment will see the social housing needs of over 28,500 households being met in 2021. This includes 12,750 new social homes to be delivered through build, acquisition and leasing programmes. While we work to deliver these new homes, particularly social and affordable, working with local authorities and other delivery partners, it is also important that councils maintain and upgrade their existing stock. The budget includes funding for both these approaches and we will work with the city council and other local authorities to that end.
I thank the Minister of State. I do not know if he is aware of Pearse House. It is a remarkable flat complex in the inner city, between Pearse Street and Hanover Street. There are 345 flats there. It was designed by Herbert Simms. It is a fantastic location but it is in dire need of refurbishment and retrofitting. Great people live in Pearse House but for the past 20 years they have had to put up with substandard accommodation. One significant problem in the flat complex is the significant dampness. That needs to be tackled through a major refurbishment project. I am aware that Dublin City Council announced in October that it was planning a major refurbishment and retrofitting project for Pearse House. It is important that the Department gets behind it. I was concerned by what was stated by Dublin City Council at the time. It indicated that it would take between 12 and 15 years to carry out the refurbishment work. That is far too long. The problems there need to be resolved immediately, especially the dampness. It is unfair to ask people to live in those conditions when we have given a commitment that we can fix it.
I wholeheartedly agree. The Deputy referred to the design of the flats by Dublin city architect Herbert Simms, which were built between 1936 and 1938. I am familiar with Pearse House. From a heritage perspective, these flat complexes throughout the city are vitally important. The Deputy rightly points out the issue of dampness. This is a significant public health problem, which causes respiratory problems for families. We hope to have that addressed. It is also important to the note the embodied energy in these buildings. From a climate action perspective, the greenest buildings that we have are the ones that are already built. We want to ensure that these apartments complexes throughout the city, with more than 220 apartment complexes under Dublin City Council, are brought up to a high level of thermal comfort for families. We recognise the importance of achieving that standard.
I note that the Minister of State refers to heritage, which is important, but, obviously, from the point of view of the residents of the flats, it is of secondary importance. The problem with the flats is that they were built in the 1930s, and many were built to a size that would not be acceptable today. For example, the one bedroom apartments are there are 37 sq. m to 39 sq. m, compared with the current minimum standard of 45 sq. m. Two bedroom residences are 49 sq. m to 56 sq. m, compared with the minimum standard now of 73 sq. m, and three bedroom apartments are approximately 62 sq. m, compared with the minimum standard now of 90 sq. m.
I have had the opportunity to speak with the Minister about the matter and I know he is committed to seeing this work through. In fairness, he has committed to a meeting which we will have in due course. For the residents in the flat complex, it is important that the Department sends out a message that it will not let Dublin City Council let this drift on for ten to 15 years. The people living in the flats need to see the work being done promptly. The dampness is not just a societal issue but a health issue. I ask the Minister of State to expedite it and ensure that works are done.
The Minister has committed to a meeting. Just to outline the works on Pearse House in the past 24 months, all roofs were repaired in 2018. Blocks A and C had their roofs upgraded in March 2019. Stairwells were repaired in 2019. A drainage survey of the entire complex was completed in 2018. There were repairs to the network system, and upgrades to the fire and domestic alarms and ventilation units, which relate to dampness, a matter the Deputy raised.
These are ongoing refurbishments and are part of a wider in-depth national regeneration programme that includes community development approaches of inclusion and of tackling the causes of disadvantage in these communities.