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Irish Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Local residents complain of ‘absolute mayhem' following new Pearse Street traffic restrictions
The changes, the latest phase in the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan, came into effect last Sunday and introduced new restrictions on cars turning left onto Pearse Street from Westland Row. Buses, taxis and cyclists aren't affected, but general traffic must now turn right at the junction. Reaction to the changes had initially been muted, but correspondence received by councillors indicates that many local residents are now seeing traffic issues worsen on local roads such as Sandwith Street and Macken Street. One resident said: 'We could list off dozens of reasons why these new measures are not effective. 'All anyone has to do is stand on Sandwith Street at any time of the day to see the gridlock and dangers that are happening. 'The traffic issues are not merely an inconvenience; they are a significant barrier to everyday life, impacting our ability to reach work, school, appointments, and even leisure activities,' they added. 'It's clear to see that the new traffic measures on Westland Row/Sandwith Street are causing absolute mayhem for the surrounding area.' Local Sinn Féin councillor Kourtney Kenny said she's heard many similar stories over the last few days. 'I've had women onto me who have children with dyspraxia and they need to go to [occupational therapy] appointments,' she said. 'They're down €100 missing the appointment because they actually can't get out of their home. They're prisoners.' Dublin City Council is seeking to make the city centre less attractive for traffic cutting through the city, but Cllr Kenny said the answer wasn't to 'penalise people living in the inner city'. 'Some people are carers, some people are healthcare assistants, some people have disabilities and rely heavily on their cars,' she said. 'Dublin City Council said, after the fact, they're willing to meet residents, but you know yourself, you could be long waiting on that.' Danny Byrne, a Fine Gael councillor for the area, said that while the reaction from residents has been negative, he felt it was just 'teething problems'. 'I know there's always a willingness [from the Council] to listen and to observe how it progresses. You can't really assess it over a few days until maybe people get used to it.' Similarly, Green Party councillor Janet Horner said it was 'inevitable' that traffic changes would cause some disruption for the city. 'Everything obviously does require a bedding down period, there's no point being too knee jerk about any of this stuff where there's a few days when a new measure throws up a little bit of chaos or extra confusion,' she said. 'Let's look at the data. Let's see how this is bedding down and achieving what we wanted to achieve. 'We are investing, we are making changes. The idea of that is to make it easier, better, cheaper, more comfortable, safer to take sustainable means of transport into town.' The next phase of the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan will make Parliament Street a car-free zone after 11am daily. It will come into effect at the end of June. Dublin City Council was contacted for comment.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Major Dublin road used by thousands closes for FOUR days with diversions in place as drivers warned
A MAJOR road used by thousands of Irish drivers is set to close for four days. Dublin City Council has alerted 1 A major road used by thousands is set to close for four days Credit: Getty Images - Getty The closure is taking place from 12am on Saturday, May 31 to 12am on Wednesday, June 4. the installation of art tiles. And drivers are being warned that it will affect the stretch of Crampton Court between Essex Street East and Crampton Court Courtyard. Dublin City Council stated: 'The City Council's South East Area Office intends to close the following road to facilitate the installation of art tiles on the dates and times listed below. READ MORE IN MOTORS 'Crampton Court (from Essex Street East to Crampton Court Courtyard), Dublin 2 from 00.00hrs on Saturday 31st May 2025 to 24.00hrs on Wednesday 4th June 2025.' Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout the duration of the works, and local access will be facilitated where possible from all closure points. Pedestrian and local access to Crampton Court will be facilitated at all times from Dame Street. Most read in Motors Clear signage will be in place to guide pedestrians, and road users are advised to allow extra time for their journeys during this period. Dublin City Council added: 'Pedestrian and local access to Crampton Court will be facilitated at all times from Dame Street.' Meanwhile, six The 43rd Vhi Women's Now in its 43rd year, the event is recognised as one of the largest all- of its kind in the world. ROADS CLOSED And there are several major roads that will be closed for the event. The road will close at 8am on Saturday May 31 and remaining shut until 7pm June 1. Five nearby roads including Herbert Lane, Pembroke Row, Fitzwilliam Street Upper, Fitzwilliam Place and Baggot Street Lower will be closed for 15 hours, from 4am to 7pm on race day. These closures will support key operational zones for the race, including the start line and medical near Fitzwilliam Square and Merrion Square. Streets such as Stephen's Green East, Stephen's Green South and Stephen's Green North will close later in the morning from 8:30am but reopen earlier at 5pm. Other roads like Cuffe Street, Merrion Street Upper, Some nearby areas including Hume Street, Merrion Row, Ely Place and Merrion Square West will remain closed slightly longer from 8:30am until 6pm. The core race route will close some major roads from 11:30am to 4pm, including Leeson Street Lower and Upper, Donnybrook Road, Merrion Road and Nutley Lane. These closures will ensure the safety of participants while maintaining access for emergency and pedestrian
The Journal
2 days ago
- Business
- The Journal
Construction underway to deliver over 540 homes at former St Teresa's Gardens site
CONSTRUCTION IS UNDERWAY to deliver over 540 social and cost rental homes on the former St. Teresa's Gardens site in Dublin. The final block of flats were demolished in 2016 to make way for the regeneration projection, officially titled the Donore Project. The site is located off Donore Avenue in the Dolphin's Barn area of Dublin 8, adjacent to the Liberties and covers an area of 1.74 hectares. Constructed in the 1950's, St Teresa's Gardens was one of the largest public housing complexes built by Dublin City Council but regeneration plans fell through in 2009 in the midst of the recession. The plans were revived by Dublin City Council in 2014 but then faced another set-back when hazardous waste was discovered at the site. The new affordable housing development, for which planning permission was granted in June 2023, is being delivered by the Land Development Agency (LDA) and Dublin City Council. The LDA is the State's affordable housing delivery body. Artist's impression of the project It includes 542 new homes, including 389 cost-rental and 153 social housing apartments. Advertisement There will be a mix of accommodation types, comprising 233 one-bedroom apartments, 265 two-bedroom apartments and 44 three-bedroom apartments. The new homes will be located next to Dublin City Council's own development of 54 social homes on Margaret Kennedy Road which were also built on part of the former St. Teresa's Gardens land. Once complete, the Donore Project will include a new creche, community spaces, a café/retail unit, mobility hub and the new home for the Donore Boxing Club. Construction on a multipurpose sports pitch is to follow too. The LDA said the project is part of an ongoing plan to create a 'sustainable and integrated new community in the area'. 'In tandem with semi-private open spaces for residents, it will deliver public open spaces and recreational facilities designed to complement and connect neighbouring developments,' said a spokesperson. These initial enabling works are complete, with the main contract for construction has been awarded to John Paul Construction and is underway. Housing Minister James Browne said it's 'great to see this part of Dublin benefitting from such a transformative project'. Meanwhile, John Coleman, Chief Executive of the LDA, described Donore Project as a 'flagship development as it demonstrates our ability to deliver housing on State-owned land'. He said it also showcases the LDA's ' ambition to create new liveable, sustainable and integrated communities that can cater for the needs of families, older people and renters'. Elsewhere, Richard Shakespeare, Chief Executive of Dublin City Council, said the Council has 'engaged extensively with local residents and businesses, and we are confident that once completed, the Donore Project will add significantly to what is an already thriving community'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Dublin City Council pays €2m a year for vacant hostel
An investment fund promoted by barrister and debt adviser Ross Maguire is receiving rent of €2 million per year from Dublin City Council for a vacant hostel. Avalon House at Aungier Street, Dublin city, has been dormant since a legal wrangle six years ago when local objectors went to the High Court to block plans by the Peter McVerry Trust (PMVT) charity to provide homeless accommodation in the property. The dispute led Dublin City Council to take over the McVerry Trust lease in May 2021. The council pays €300,000 in annual insurance, security and utility costs in addition to the €2 million annual rent. Apart from a ground floor café, the property is vacant. Under the PMVT and council tenancies, the total rent bill was €10 million between 2020 and 2024. In the same period, the additional costs were about €1.5 million. READ MORE 'Avalon House is not usable without significant capital works, as PMVT had commenced strip-out prior to the lease transfer,' said the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), a division of the city council. A new planning process was set in motion in February 2023, but an application to develop a homeless family hub in the property has still not been submitted. Since 2022, the landlord is Irish Social Housing Fund 1, an investment vehicle promoted by Mr Maguire in partnership with international investors. 'It is not my fund and I have no ownership in the fund,' Mr Maguire said in reply to questions. A senior counsel, he came to prominence after the financial crash as a debt adviser to people in mortgage arrears and later moved into investment. The fund is listed among the partners of his advisory company New Beginning on its website. Avalon House, once a medical school, is a protected structure, meaning owners are required to prevent it from becoming endangered. The building was a hostel for backbackers before the PMVT set out plans to provide emergency accommodation for up to 155 rough sleepers. The trust had taken out a 20-year lease on the property in November 2019 with a company called Trittkopf, whose ultimate parent is BJM, a firm based in Cyprus. The city council took over the lease 'for the residue of the term' as part of the settlement of the court case. When Irish Social Housing Fund 1 acquired Avalon House in 2022, Mr Maguire was described as its 'authorised signatory' in a planning submission to the council. Mr Maguire suggested questions should be directed to the fund itself but a phone call to the fund was answered in his New Beginning office. The fund is authorised and supervised by the Central Bank. However, the bank said it 'does not have any regulatory role to make publicly available the prospectus or financial statements of the fund'. Responsibility for releasing financial information was with the alternative investment fund manager, the bank said. The fund manager, IQ-EQ, did not return phone calls or reply to questions emailed to a named company official in Dublin. The DRHE said it considered 'all options' for Avalon House, including exiting the lease or an alterative use for it. 'A family hub was considered to be the only viable use,' it said. 'The DRHE commenced the capital works application process, conditional approval was granted by the DHLGH in February 2023 and full Stage 1 approval given in June 2023, following compliance with the funding conditions,' it added. 'In late 2023, the DRHE tendered to procure an integrated design team. An integrated design team for the transformation of Avalon House into a family hub was appointed on April 5th, 2024, and we are currently preparing a planning application for a family hub.'
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Investment fund receiving €2m a year in rent from council for vacant hostel
An investment fund promoted by barrister and debt adviser Ross Maguire is receiving rent of €2 million per year from Dublin City Council for a vacant hostel. Avalon House at Aungier Street, Dublin city, has been dormant since a legal wrangle six years ago when local objectors went to the High Court to block plans by the Peter McVerry Trust (PMVT) charity to provide homeless accommodation in the property. The dispute led Dublin City Council to take over the McVerry Trust lease in May 2021. The council pays €300,000 in annual insurance, security and utility costs in addition to the €2 million annual rent. Apart from a ground floor café, the property is vacant. Under the PMVT and council tenancies, the total rent bill was €10 million between 2020 and 2024. In the same period, the additional costs were about €1.5 million. READ MORE 'Avalon House is not usable without significant capital works, as PMVT had commenced strip-out prior to the lease transfer,' said the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), a division of the city council. A new planning process was set in motion in February 2023, but an application to develop a homeless family hub in the property has still not been submitted. Since 2022, the landlord is Irish Social Housing Fund 1, an investment vehicle promoted by Mr Maguire in partnership with international investors. 'It is not my fund and I have no ownership in the fund,' Mr Maguire said in reply to questions. A senior counsel, he came to prominence after the financial crash as a debt adviser to people in mortgage arrears and later moved into investment. The fund is listed among the partners of his advisory company New Beginning on its website. Avalon House, once a medical school, is a protected structure, meaning owners are required to prevent it from becoming endangered. The building was a hostel for backbackers before the PMVT set out plans to provide emergency accommodation for up to 155 rough sleepers. The trust had taken out a 20-year lease on the property in November 2019 with a company called Trittkopf, whose ultimate parent is BJM, a firm based in Cyprus. The city council took over the lease 'for the residue of the term' as part of the settlement of the court case. When Irish Social Housing Fund 1 acquired Avalon House in 2022, Mr Maguire was described as its 'authorised signatory' in a planning submission to the council. Mr Maguire suggested questions should be directed to the fund itself but a phone call to the fund was answered in his New Beginning office. The fund is authorised and supervised by the Central Bank. However, the bank said it 'does not have any regulatory role to make publicly available the prospectus or financial statements of the fund'. Responsibility for releasing financial information was with the alternative investment fund manager, the bank said. The fund manager, IQ-EQ, did not return phone calls or reply to questions emailed to a named company official in Dublin. The DRHE said it considered 'all options' for Avalon House, including exiting the lease or an alterative use for it. 'A family hub was considered to be the only viable use,' it said. 'The DRHE commenced the capital works application process, conditional approval was granted by the DHLGH in February 2023 and full Stage 1 approval given in June 2023, following compliance with the funding conditions,' it added. 'In late 2023, the DRHE tendered to procure an integrated design team. An integrated design team for the transformation of Avalon House into a family hub was appointed on April 5th, 2024, and we are currently preparing a planning application for a family hub.'
