Ballymun Masterplan Background
Ballymun was built between 1966 and 1969 by the National Building Agency which was set up specifically for the task. The estate comprised seven 15-storey towers, nineteen 8-storey spine or deck access blocks, ten 4-storey walk-ups and 400 single family houses. In 1966 the first tenants moved in, frequently from slum clearance areas or poor inner city terraced housing.Ballymun was built between 1966 and 1969 by the National Building Agency which was set up specifically for the task. The estate comprised seven 15-storey towers, nineteen 8-storey spine or deck access blocks, ten 4-storey walk-ups and 400 single family houses. In 1966 the first tenants moved in, frequently from slum clearance areas or poor inner city terraced housing. The estate was ultra-modern with 73 lifts, a district heating system and nearly 500 acres of open grass areas.
In the 1970s 1,400 houses were added to Dublin City Council's housing stock in Ballymun. From the beginning the management of the estate was a problem. Very soon this experiment with modernity experienced problems including an above average turnover and vacancy rate. Flats could not be purchased and soon were seen as an inferior option for tenants who could purchase houses and receive generous discounts off the purchase price. In addition the Government pursued a policy of providing incentives to those vacating local authority dwellings in an effort to increase the number of units available to those on housing waiting lists. For all these reasons by 1985 the turnover had reached crisis proportions.
In 1984 Dublin City Council set up a Special Committee to monitor and implement proposals to tackle the problems being experienced in Ballymun. Dublin City Council adopted a radical new management approach and in 1985 it set up a local office in Ballymun working directly with tenants, this included a role for tenants in screening applicants to bring about a more balanced community. The success of the first initiatives in tenant involvement brought about new interest in tenant associations and by 1987 there were 32 officially recognised tenants associations. The Ballymun Community Coalition set up a special Task Force to develop a housing plan for Ballymun. The Task Force consisted of members of the local community, the Area Health Board and elected members of government.
In the early 1990s major remedial works were carried out by the state, to create an atmosphere of security and to give individual tenants control over access to their homes, while improving the visible appearance and environment of the blocks. An independent evaluation report was conducted to assess the success of this work and in 1994 Dublin City Council responded to the evaluation report by proposing the demolition of 560 units in six of the seven tower blocks and their replacement with alternative housing for residents.
In March 1997 the Government announced that it was setting aside 228.5 million for the regeneration of Ballymun including the demolition of all the 15 and 8 storey blocks. Dublin City Council formed a company, limited by guarantee - Ballymun Regeneration Ltd., to work with the community to develop and implement a Masterplan for Ballymun. Ciarán Murray was appointed as Managing Director and a voluntary Board of Directors was established. This board comprises local councillors, tenants, and representatives from the Housing Task Force and Ballymun Partnership, community representatives, Health Board, private sector, gardaí, local authority and local womens' groups. The board meet once a month and works closely with the local community. The Ballymun Housing Task Force was appointed as the official liaison group for the project overall.
The Masterplan which was accompanied by an Integrated Area Plan was prepared and presented to Government on 31st March 1998. The aims and objectives of the Masterplan were welcomed by the local community, by Central Government and by Dublin City Council and implementation is well underway. The first demolitions took place in the summer of 2004.
As Ballymun's social problems had increased, so too, paradoxically did its community spirit. Today there are many voluntary and community organisations active in Ballymun and they are very involved in the regeneration process who want to make sure that the new town will contain all the facilities and programs that are needed.