PRESS RELEASE:
On Wednesday the 9th October 2013 Minister for Housing and Planning, Jan O’ Sullivan gave her commitment to funding regeneration in St. Teresa’s Gardens over the next three years. This marks a fresh beginning for everyone living and working in the flats complex and provides renewed hope to a strong and resilient community.
St Teresa’s Gardens Regeneration Board welcomes Minister O’ Sullivan’s commitment and urges that building works continue at a speedy pace to ensure the best results for the community. This commitment offers greater certainty and optimism for the future in St Teresa’s Gardens. Chairperson of the Regeneration Board, Prof. Sean Daly said… “I am delighted to see a firm commitment from the government to the future of the community in St Teresa’s Gardens. The regeneration board has tried to maintain some optimism over the last six years when everything that we had worked for seemed to be lost. The residents deserve huge credit for never giving up over what has been a long history of false dawns and I would like to thank them for all their efforts”.
The 2013 plan for regeneration, developed by Dublin City Council architects and planners broadly agreed with Residents, the Regeneration Board, and the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, is:
1. To temporarily move residents to the front of the complex, in better quality homes with a safer community, while they wait for the new houses.
2. Demolish existing flat blocks to make way for the new build. Demolition will be phased over the next year, beginning in the coming months.
3. Following demolition the construction of new units will begin with a completion target by the end of 2016.
Minister O’Sullivan stated “Funding for this work will be made available from my Department’s budget for the National Regeneration Programme”, alongside a “commitment to providing the necessary capital funding for 50 new units, the construction of which, it is hoped, will be substantially completed by the end of 2016″.
Tony Flynn Area Manager for Dublin City Council acknowledged that “this is very positive news and the council is committed to delivering this important project as soon as possible”.
Residents, and members of the Regeneration Board, are delighted that… “After years of campaigning, we have achieved what we set out to get for families living in St Teresa’s Gardens. We have finally seen, on paper, what we have been trying to get years”.
St Teresa’s Gardens is steeped in familial histories and residents are committed to retaining their lives and their homes in this area for generations to come. To accompany the Minister’s commitment to capital investment in regeneration, the Regeneration Board will continue to progress social projects alongside the physical/ building works. The Board believes that, if the physical regeneration is to be sustained in the long run, a social and economic transformation of this neighborhood is required.
ENDS
For further information contact:
Sean Daly, Chairperson, St. Teresa’s Gardens Regeneration Board
Eadaoin Ní Chléirigh, CEO, St. Michael’s Estate Regeneration Board – 087-1229795
Note: St Teresa’s Gardens Regeneration Board is made-up of residents, local councilors, Dublin City Council, Gardaí and local stakeholders. The remit of the Board is to progress regeneration works in St Teresa’s Gardens to obtain the greatest possible community gain based on the needs and the wishes of the residents and community.
