A local councillor has expressed her anger at South Dublin councillors who voted down a proposal to CPO derelict sites. People Before Profit Councillor Madeleine Johansson made the comments following the January Council Meeting where she proposed a motion to Compulsory Purchase 10 sites in the county that are listed as derelict. The motion was defeated by 17 votes with 14 votes in favour and 2 abstentions. The 10 sites that are listed on the Derelict Sites Register are all residential and include properties on Wheatfield Rd (pictured) in Palmerstown and Grange View Grove in Clondalkin, both of which have been vacant for more than 10 years.
Councillor Madeleine Johansson commented: “I’m really angry that councillors voted down my motion which called on the council to Compulsory Purchase derelict properties and use them for social housing.
“There’s over 13 000 households in emergency accommodation, thousands of them including children. It’s reprehensible to continue to allow property owners to leave homes lying vacant and becoming derelict in the middle of a housing crisis. The very least that the council can do is to initiate the Compulsory Purchase on properties that have been vacant for a long time. Those homes could then be used for families who are in desperate need.
“The derelict properties are also an eyesore in local communities and cause other problems such as vermin and illegal dumping. “Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Green Party and Labour Party councillors who voted against my motion have shown that they have no interest in solving the housing crisis. Only radical action, like what I proposed, can end the housing crisis and the establishment parties have no will to do that.”
