More than 100 HAP tenants in Dublin lost their homes after poor conditions flagged
“An innocent tenant, through no fault of their own, ends up back homeless because a landlord doesn’t carry out the works,” says one councillor.
Over the years, the idea’s got support from councillors, TDs, the Minister for Transport – but there’s still no simple, official way to do it in Dublin city.
First, they’re working on putting the materials online. But later, maybe a place where people can drop in to look at some of them.
Councillors said that they feel the city was just used as the backdrop for a pre-election PR campaign.
It was already launched in November by Fine Gael’s James Geoghegan, who was then the Lord Mayor and is now a TD. But it hasn’t opened yet.
“The IAA [Irish Aviation Authority] can tell drones not to go over ‘quiet areas’,” says Social Democrats Councillor Cat O’Driscoll.
It’s not uncommon for companies to fail to pay – and it can be difficult to force the issue.
Analysis found that issues clustered in the city centre, around tram tracks, roundabouts, blocked cycle lanes, close passes, left-turns, and heavy vehicles.
Whatever temporary measures are put in place, nothing is ever going to do the job like a big solid concrete wall, says Maynooth University’s Peter Thorne.
They recite schemes that were promised, or piloted, but seem to have gone nowhere. A council spokesperson said similar initiatives still exist.
Online tools allow people to identify others from photos – opening the way for targeted ridicule, doxxing, or worse.
But they appear to lack the necessary power, and are likely moving too late. Manna hopes to start delivering toasties and tacos in the city “by late this summer”.
Grosvenor Lodge is so rundown that the council is looking at adding part of it to its derelict sites register.