The Land Development Agency (LDA) and Dublin City Council (DCC) have published draft plans for a new social and affordable housing development in Dublin 12.
Bluebell Waterways, located beside the 5th Lock on the Grand Canal at the former filter bed complex, will provide almost 400 homes, as well as community spaces and active travel links.
The publication of the draft plans follows initial engagement with residents, business and community groups in the area. Further meetings and workshops are planned over the next two months while interested parties and members of the public can also provide feedback on the design of the development through an online process.
The plans include proposals for 389 high quality, sustainable homes involving a mix of studio, one, two and three bed apartments. The homes will be delivered on a 2.8-hectare site, owned by Dublin City Council, in addition to community spaces, a creche and landscaped open spaces. Community allotments will support long established community services and there will be opportunities for new services to emerge.
Around 35% of the homes will be social and the remaining 65% will be cost rental apartments. The latter will provide secure long-term rental accommodation at discounted market rates and will be managed by the LDA. Meanwhile, DCC will offer existing residents of the Bluebell maisonettes the first of the social homes.
The area is already well served by road and public transport services. The proposed development will build on the existing connections by prioritising new footpaths and cycleways and creating a green corridor linking to the planned canal greenway.
The draft plan can be accessed on the Bluebell Waterways website, and information about upcoming meetings and events will be made available online.
Phelim O’Neill, Head of Property at the Land Development Agency said: “We are delighted to be moving to the next phase of this exciting project, which will see much needed social and affordable homes delivered in Dublin 12. This consultation provides residents, businesses and community groups with the opportunity to see the details of the proposed development – everything from a typical floorplan for the homes to a characteristic streetscape – capturing what the final neighbourhood could look like. Engagement is at the heart of all LDA-DCC partnerships and we want local people to feed in to these plans and help shape the area for this and future generations.”
Dave Dinningan, Director of Housing Delivery at Dublin City Council said: “We have reached a vital stage in the process of delivering Bluebell Waterways. This project will revitalise the Dublin 12 area by supporting existing services while creating a safe and social environment with new community amenities for existing and future residents. Alongside our project partners, we look forward to meeting with and hearing from the local community so that we can refine our design to create the best possible development for the Bluebell community.”
