Cllr. Éilis Ryan

Workers’ Party Cllr. Éilis Ryan has issued a warning to Dublin City Council to take heed of the prices being charged for newly built two-bedroom houses in the neighbourhood of O’Devaney Gardens – a major public plot of land which the council intends to have developed primarily for private housing.

The warning came after an announcement from developers that prices of their new Dawson Place development on Arbour Hill would start from €445,000 for a 2-bedroom house – almost double the average asking price for a 2-bed in the area, according to Daft’s Q1 2017 report.

Cllr. Ryan said: “Dawson Place is a stone’s throw from O’Devaney Gardens, and the prices charged there provide a fair indication of the prices to be charged for the private housing which will be built on O’Devaney Gardens.

“€445,000 for a two-bedroomed house is ludicrous money. It puts even the least expensive houses out of the reach of 90% of the population, and you can rest assured it’ll be landlords and investors buying up the majority of housing.”

The Workers’ Party councillor said it was a sure indicator that the development should serve as a warning to Dublin City Council to reverse its decision to give O’Devaney Gardens over to a private developer.

“We have absolutely no ability to control the prices charged by private developers for the housing being built on O’Devaney Gardens – public land – so it’s fair to assume they will be in the region of the prices for Dawson Place”.

“If this is true, it will mean that not only is O’Devaney Gardens put beyond the reach of those in need of social housing – but also beyond almost every ordinary working person and family in the city. It’s a scandal, and it is within Dublin City Council’s power to prevent it.”, said Cllr. Ryan.