Despite objections, Fingal councillors approve Fortlawn housing redevelopment

Over hundreds of objections including from local residents, and local councillors, the majority of Fingal county councillors voted to back a proposed redevelopment in the Fortlawn housing estate in Dublin 15.

The council management’s plan includes the demolition of four homes in the area, and construction of 21 new ones – for a net gain of 17 homes. 

It also includes changes to the road layout, eliminating cul-de-sacs in favour of through roads, as a way to reduce anti-social behaviour, council officials said.

The project has been mired in controversy since the council announced it, with residents of the four houses saying they were taken by surprise to learn their homes were slated to be demolished. 

Fingal’s housing director, Paul Carroll, said the residents of these homes will not be forcibly removed, because the works will be carried out on a phased basis once they reach an agreement with the tenants. “We’ll work with the tenants to achieve the right housing solution for all of them.” 

But this could take months, or even years. “We don’t have a fixed timeline on that for obvious reasons,” he said.

Local residents and councillors have been asking that the council return to the drawing board and consider an alternative plan that does not involve knocking the houses.

Since July, councillors have passed three motions calling for the council to reconsider the current plans, and more than 300 submissions made during the consultation phase have questioned it too, said Sinn Féin Councillor Angela Donnelly.

Councillors were essentially being asked to reject those views, Labour councillor John Walsh said. “We’re being asked to ride roughshod over those perspectives.”

After the chamber descended into a heated debate for more than two hours during the full 40-member council’s monthly meeting on Monday in Swords, councillors eventually agreed to grant the council planning permission to proceed.

The plan

The plan is to demolish four three-bed, two-storey homes on Fortlawn Avenue and Fortlawn Park. 

Then to build seven terraced houses in one block, including one four-bed, and six three-beds. 

As well as 12 apartments in a two-storey block, including six one-beds, and six two-beds. And two semi-detached houses: a four-bed and a three-bed.

The council also plans to open up six cul-de-sacs on Fortlawn Park and Fortlawn Avenue, and put in new through roads and pedestrian footpaths.  

The project is a significant investment of over €12 million in the area in terms of both the delivery of housing, as well as the upgrades to its roads and parklands, Carroll said on Monday, at the meeting.

In all, it would lead to a net gain of 17 homes, eight of which would be universally accessible, he said. “We believe this is the right solution for this particular site.”

The tenants

Fortlawn locals voiced their disapproval for the council proposal when it first went on display back in July.

A resident in one of the four homes that is slated for demolition posted a petition last July – which now has 572 signatures – asking the council not to proceed with the plan, saying they had not been consulted with by the council.

“For 22 years, Fortlawn Ave/Park has been my home. It’s where I grew up, where my family lives, and where four close-knit households have built a life together. Now, without any warning or consultation, our homes are set to be demolished,” it says.

In July, after the backlash, the council deferred the consultation, and then re-launched it in November. 

The process hadn’t been well handled, Carroll, Fingal’s director of Housing and Community Development told councillors in November. 

But local councillors at that time said they weren’t happy that the proposal remained the same. 

“If you listened to the residents and to the councillors, we could come up with a plan that wouldn’t destroy community relations and would pass,” said Sinn Féin Councillor Angela Donnelly.

On Monday, Carroll, the council’s housing director, said the council had made significant changes to the proposal in terms of its phasing.

There is no need for any tenant to be forcibly removed from their property, he said. “We’ll work with the tenants to achieve the right housing solution for all of them.”

Unlike a standard planning permission which carries an expiration date, a project with Part 8 approval does not, he said. “Part 8 has an indefinite timeline and we can work within that.”

Fighting crime one through road at a time

As well as providing more homes, the council is looking to tackle anti-social behaviour in the area by removing cul-de-sacs, said Carmel Brennan, a council senior architect.

“These new through roads will improve access, connectivity and passive surveillance,” she said.

The changes will enhance Garda access by opening up the dead end roads and pedestrian shortcuts that are used as escape routes by people fleeing on both foot and scramblers, she said.

Tackling anti-social behaviour by turning cul-de-sacs into through roads didn’t seem to make any sense, said Sinn Féin Councillor Angela Donnelly. “I’d really like to hear what sort of conversations or what sort of advice you got from the guards.”

Right now, the cul-de-sacs make issues for Gardaí while there are multiple pedestrian “escape routes”, Brennan said. “They create conditions that are widely recognised as risk factors for anti-social behaviour.”

It makes it difficult for residents and Gardaí to enter and exit the estates efficiently, she said. “Particularly where turning movements are constrained.”

Opening up the roads will make anti-social behaviour less concealed in the area, she said.

Liam Burke, the council’s Housing Support Officer, said he is in regular contact with Gardaí concerning anti-social behaviour. “It’s increased unfortunately year-on-year; significant behaviour relating to behaviour of youths, drug dealing, joy riding, vandalism, criminal damage.”

Near the site, in March 2024, there was a petrol bomb attack, he said. “Garda Síochána regularly tell me that the difficulties around access and chase events in Fortlawn is very difficult for them.”

There is no panacea for bad behaviour, he said. “This proposal is grounded, and well grounded in complaints about significant and serious bad behaviour over a number of years.”

A lot of these are matters for police and the criminal justice system, Labour Councillor John Walsh said. “Are we seriously saying that this development is going to stop joy riding, gun attacks and petrol bomb attacks?”

These new designs, the council believe, will enhance the operational policing status of the area, Carroll said. “And will also be a significant investment in the public realm for residents.”

Consultation and experience

There were 342 submissions and observations made during the consultation period, Brennan said during the presentation on Monday. 

Community groups submitted two petitions, with 566 and 496 signatures, she said.

“Nearly all the submissions or observations express concerns about the potential displacement of existing tenants,” she said.

One from Adam Homan, for example, was a form letter that many other people submitted, with some handwritten additions.

“The removal of long standing homes will severely disrupt the stability and character of the neighbourhood,” he wrote. “Many of the houses represent family and community.”

Increased housing density will strain the already limited infrastructure, such as schools, doctors, parking, and “public services”, he wrote.

“Opening the roads will cause nothing but anti-social behaviour, making it less safe for children going to and from school,” his additions say.

Donnelly, the Sinn Féin councillor, said the problem is that the council is citing its own experience of the estate rather than that of the people living there.

Fortlawn is being painted as an “absolute hellhole”, she said. “There’s residents that try very hard. It’s a thriving community, and we don’t know what’s best for them, and we should never think that.”

Consultation and listening to the community is what should deliver a good plan, she said.

An alternative

In response to the council executive’s proposal on Monday, a motion requesting that an alternative plan be prepared by a group of councillors.

This group included Walsh and Donnelly, as well as Gerard Sheehan and Ellen Troy from Aontú, Breda Hanaphy from Labour, Malachy Quinn and John Smyth from Sinn Féin, and John Burtchaell from Solidarity.

“The Executive were asked many, many times to make changes to this plan. But they ignored those suggestions,” Donnelly said.

Labour Councillor Brian McDonagh said there is a lot about the plan that he liked, and that should be voted for. “There’s an increase in density of housing. There’s new, modern housing.”

But, he wasn’t 100 percent certain on which side he would vote on, because all of the local councillors have expressed their concerns, he said. 

Fianna Fáil Councillor Darragh Butler said he was disappointed by the discussion. “It seems to be the same old record that we’re all in favour of additional housing until it’s in our area,” he said.

A number of councillors in the room loudly expressed their disdain at this remark. But, Butler said, the council had worked hard to accommodate the existing tenants.

Labour Councillor Mary McCamley said councillors in her area have supported social housing developments. “We’ve always supported them 100 percent.”

But this is different, she said, raising her voice in anger at Butler’s quip. “These people are in these houses 20 years. They have them looking fantastic. They’ve worked hard on them. They’ve looked after them. They’ve paid their rent.”

There has to be an alternative, she said. “We are not saying we don’t want houses in the area. We are saying we don’t want houses knocked down in the area.”

The motion calling for an alternative plan was defeated by 20 votes to 17.