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LUASing your mind over property prices in Dublin? dublin |
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 Monday August 16, 2004 14:35 by Indymedia Kevin - Indymedia Éire
 Derelict buildings everywhere, yet nowhere to live... A photo essay and commentary on derelict buildings in Dublin 7 near the LUAS line.
In other European cities where a new rail line is completed, and even in Dublin with the construction of the DART, property values usually go up and it becomes desirable to live close to the line for convenience and hassle-free commuting.... The Government's big new shiny toy, the LUAS Tram System, (overdue and over budget, but never mind) kicked off in June with the opening of the old Harcourt Street line, stretching out to Sandyford on Dublin's southside. The second line, which reaches out to Tallaght, has not opened yet, but extensive testing is currently taking place. This track goes westwards down Abbey Street through a very old part of the city, along Benburb St towards Smithfield, Blackhall Place and Stoneybatter. This is a part of the city where "urban regeneration" is transforming the streetscapes - and the skyline, visible most prominently in Smithfield Square with the absolutely ludicrous granting of planning permission to a fourteen storey tower. This is part of another large development of high-end apartments. House prices in places like nearby Manor Street and the artisans 2-storeys around Oxmantown Road have skyrocketed with the arrival of these developments. And yet... a trip down the LUAS line, and a stroll around some of the stations reveals huge amounts of derelict sites and buildings. Property owners happily allow buildings to remain vacant and fall into disrepair, so when they apply for planning permission, it will be easier - and much cheaper - for them to knock down an existing building. By sitting on their laurels, they force up the price of living, all the while people find it more difficult to live in the communities they grew up in. The six redbrick houses near the junction of Blackhall Place & Benburb St (photographed below) were only bricked up recently - these were fine homes with no major structural faults. Even Dublin City Council is contributing to the dereliction in the area with several of the ground floor units in their old complex at Ellis Court boarded up - and this happening in the middle of a housing crisis. Ellis Court is a beautiful old Corporation building, one of the few remaining in the area, and it is a shame to see it being left go to ruin in this way. Three storey houses divided into flats, smaller two-storey homes, old cottages, single unit flats, enormous warehouses (with yards and offices), offices, a butchers, various older shops and stores - all lie empty, decaying, and sprouting weeds in the inner Dublin 7 area. The City Council has the power to seize these properties and do a compulsory purchase order on them, or fine the owners 3% annually of the market value under the Derelict Sites Act, but this power is exercised on only a handful of properties throughout the entire city centre. The Garda also do not bother pursuing the owners of derelict properties. They are primarily concerned with people who try to squat empty buildings for legitimate purposes rather than the criminals who allow the buildings to dilapidate. A report in yesterdays Sunday Independent shows how alert the Garda still are to potential squatters, after frenzied reports in the tabloids in the run up to Mayday about dangerous anarchists occupying abandoned buildings. A young teenage girl innocently went "exploring" a derelict building in the upmarket Dublin 4 district with a friend, and no fewer than 12 Gardai showed up in a matter of minutes to apprehend the trespassers. How soon does it take the Garda to come around if you report a potential burglar? There is obviously political pressure on the Garda to ensure that the private property of speculators is respected, even when they have total disregard for the need for housing and spaces in the city centre & suburbs.
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As anyone who has faced the daily banal work torture of the water-cooler/canteen "chat" will know, the two hot topics that people love talking endless guff about are the traffic chaos in Dublin, and how much it costs to buy/rent a house here. But admittedly for once the chattering classes do have a point - in many areas which would previously have been considered accessible for low-income earners to live in, they are now priced out entirely.
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Comments (17 of 17)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17Round two
Manor Street
Large building on Upper Abbey Street
Houses on Benburb Street
Manor Street
Ellis Court (Benburb Street)
Round 3
Interior of Ellis Court (Dublin City Council is the landlord boarding up these homes)
The houses on Benburb Street near Collins Barracks Museum
The old empty butchers' on Benburb St (would make a nice vegetarian/FNB cafe/outpost if someone was inclined to using it...)
yeah, its fucking ridiculous the amount of abbandoned buildings in this city..
Much as I hate to add to the negativity usually pertaining to the comments on this site I feel I must(mainly because of the fact that im an underinformed overopinionated compulsive pointerouter) The tone of the lines about the so-called chattering classes was cause for concern, I know how water cooler conversation can leave a lot to be desired but such snide remarks about the chattering classes (who last time i checked made up the majority of this country) dont help anyone you cannot have a revolution for the people without the people.This type of attitude is what keeps the divide going between activists and so called normals.Is it not the contempt of the chattering classes that enrages us about the corporate world in general?Im only making the point because I know of several people who have been turned off this site by similar attitudes.The government via the media are already attempting to divide dissidents in general from your average John Q. Driveway by creating the myth of a seperate, permanently dissatisfied, potentialy violent sect of society, lets not perpetuate that myth.
gald someone out there is noticing this bullshit in the property market
private property at the expense of the common good
property owners know that they will be rewarded for sitting on property and doing nothing with it.
the reward is that the government and other people will spend money on improving the area, putting in better transport and improving buildings so that the area is more desirable to live in.
So all this work and money is spent by other people and the value of your property goes up - its a great scam!
And the funniest thing is that even though the government spent millions of taxpayers money on the Luas, you, the owner of the derilict property dont pay anything on the new wealth you now have!
You just sit there doing nothing and get richer and richer - property people have know this for ages and that is why we see it. When you decide to rent or sell you make a killing
Enough depression?
OK - Henry George wrote a book called "Progress and Poverty". The title refers to his amazement at the fact that poverty still existed despite all the progress and wealth humans had.
He is a big advocate of the land value tax which means taxing the increase in value of peoples property - which is fair enough when the value increases when tax money is being spent.
He estimated that it would generate so much that it would be the only tax you would need.
it means that landlords cant sit on land and do nothing - they either have to sell it or develop it. This prevents land hoarding which is what has happened in Dublin where a small number of big land owners stockpiled land zoned for development in order to keep prices high.
The other problem you refer to is banks over lending. We in Ireland now have 80billion in mortgage debt. This money has been invented by banks as a debt to someone and they then charge interest on it. Another great scam!
dont expect anything to change - look who benefits:
the governments are sponsored by big business
the banks invent loads of money and charge interest on it, if anyone doesnt pay them back their funny money they go and take something of real wealth - the house
the legal boys get a cut, as do the estate agents and then everything has to be insured
there is no way you can stop a scam that good - that noone even realises is happening
mort = death
gage = grip
mortgage = the grip of death
Nice!
Another reason many owners of these buildings do nothing with them, I think, is that interest rates at the bank on deposits have been low in recent years, yet property has appriciated at a higher level than ever.
For someone with money to invest and that dosen't need an immediate return on it, purchasing a building like those photoed above makes a great deal more sense than leaving their money in the bank and less risky than investing it in a currently volatile stock market.
This government-sponsored urban regeneration is an interesting concept as it seems more in line with a socio-economic cleansing of areas. A cursory glance at areas in Dublin that have undergone this process will reveal that any new housing built there, and indeed any existing housing is utterly beyond the means of either the people who originally lived there or anyone making less than 50-odd grand a year.
Given a decade or so, the city centre and its surrounding areas may well be the preserve of only the richer in society. Needless to say, the current owners of the above properties stand to make a tidy sum given this. Given the economic agenda of FF and the PD's change with regards this situation is highly unlikely.
The Govt. should increase building of social housing --- yet they are doing the opposite. Why is the state paying landlords excessive rents via the rent allowance scheme so its citizens can live in conditions unthinkable when Ireland was considered a poor country? Here the state is SUPPORTING the current high rents in the interest of landlords and property speculators as opposed to acting in the interests of its citizens!
The local authority has power to take action in respect of derelict sites but given the power of the property lobby, politicians are happy to act as messenger boys and it usually takes many years for an action under the Derelict Sites Act to be concluded.
The way the system works as shown in the photgraphs, a developer can board up properties and force residents out of what effectivley becomes a run down area.
Derelict Sites Act 1990
10.—It shall be the duty of a local authority to take all reasonable steps (including the exercise of any appropriate statutory powers) to ensure that any land situate in their functional area does not become or continue to be a derelict site.
3.—In this section "derelict site" means any land (in this section derelict site. referred to as "the land in question") which detracts, or is likely to detract, to a material degree from the amenity, character or appearance of land in the neighbourhood of the land in question because of—
( a ) the existence on the land in question of structures which are in a ruinous, derelict or dangerous condition, or
( b ) the neglected, unsightly or objectionable condition of the land or any structures on the land in question, or
( c ) the presence, deposit or colleffion on the land in question of any litter, rubbish, debris or waste, except where the presence, deposit or collection of such litter, rubbish, debris or waste results from the exercise of a right conffered statute or by common law.
8.—(1) Every local authority shall, within one year after the commencement of this Act, establish and thereafter maintain a register to be known as "the derelict sites register" and which is referred to in this Act as "the register" and shall enter on to the register—
( a ) particulars of any land in their functional area which, in their opinion, is a derelict site,
( b ) the name and address of each owner and occupier, where these can be ascertained by reasonable enquiry,
( c ) particulars of any action taken by the local authority under this Act or under any other enactment in relation to the site,
( d ) in the case of land owned or occupied by a local authority, particulars of the use, if any, which is being made of the land and particulars of any purpose for which the land is intended to be used,
( e ) particulars of the market value of urban land as determined by the local authority, or by the Tribunal on appeal, in accordance with the provisions of section 22, and such other particulars as may be prescribed.
(2) Before making any entry on the register in relation to any land, the local authority shall give to any owner and occupier, where they can be ascertained by reasonable enquiry, notice of their intention to make such entry and shall consider any representations any owner or occupier may make in writing within such period as may be specified in the notice and may either make the entry or not as they think proper having regard to such representations.
(3) A local authority may remove an entry from the register where they consider that the entry is no longer appropriate.
(4) A local authority shall remove an entry from the register (and record in the register the date on which this is done) in relation to a derelict site where
( a ) a notice under section 11 has been complied with, or
( b ) steps have been taken under section 11
(5) to give effect to the terms of a notice under section 11, or
( c ) the land has otherwise ceased to be a derelict site.
(5) The register shall be kept at the offices of the local authority and shall be available for inspection at the offices of the local authority during office hours.
(6) A copy of the register or an entry in the register shall be sent to the Minister on request.
(7) Notice of an entry in the register shall be served by the local authority on the owner and occupier of a site in respect of which an entry has been made in the register where such persons can be ascertained by reasonable enquiry.
(8) Every document purporting to be a copy of an entry in the register and purporting to be certified by an officer of a local authority to be a true copy of the entry shall, without proof of the signature of the person purporting so to certify or that he was such officer, be received in evidence in any legal proceedings and shall, until the contrary is proved, be deemed to be a true copy of the entry and be evidence of the terms of the entry.
(9) Evidence of an entry in the register may be given by production of a copy thereof certified pursuant to this section and it shall not be necessary to produce the register itself.
Mc Creevy abolished the tax for investors in the last budget and also abolished the first time buyers grant. If you ever want an example of how this regime favours the haves at the expenses of the have-nots, here you are.
There was a brief media outcry, quickly buried, (Newstalk are one of the biggest cheerleaders for "investors") but one Govt spokesman actually had the effrontery to claim that the loss to first time buyers of €3,000 would be offset by builders dropping their prices accordingly.
I am not making this up.
also afaik you can have planning permission for a building for up to 5/6 years... and then just get it renewed... promising to do something with the building so even buildings with signs outside are not gonna be used any time soon...
In response to
"Careful now
by James - Anti-work socialise, party. Monday, Aug 16 2004, 7:00pm
themarshometer@hotmail.com"
I agree with James! To really get your message across you need to be more positive.
Much of the attitude on the site is like that of a disgruntled teenager: Negative and blam-y with no real way for the chattering classes to get involved.
where is benburb street ??
if anything can be "parallel to the Liffey" in the Dublin 7 postal district on the northern side of the river from the Guinness brewery.
It formed part of the many Iveagh estates, built by the owners of guinness for their workers.
The houses are typical late nineteenth century early twentieth century "two up two down" artisan types. They were exceptionally well built for the period and the inhabitants enjoyed standards of living much higher than their contemporaries in the slum zones off of O Connell Street (for example).
In the late XX century Benburb and surounding streets of "lower stoneybatter" became notorious for prostitution.
Most of these cottages were targetted by speculator investors in the 1980s to 1990s when they were unpopular and accordingly very cheap. Simliar artisan estates are to be found in Portobello, along the SCR and to the east in Irishtown and Ringsend.
According to FG's Bernard Allen:
"We still have to hear from the Government about their programme of implementation and to see the findings of a report by the Government-chaired Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution, examining land ownership. They have suppressed the findings of a report – from a Commission that they set up in 2002 – on an investigation they promised to complete into land hoarding in the greater Dublin area before the end of 2003. This report was submitted to the Government at the end of 2003 but, to date, the Government has failed to publish its findings and continues to refuse to do so."
Will the report contain any radical proposals to deal with the problem? Unlikely...
You've been sucked in! You'll never be able to leave this place now.
Long live the chattering classes!
Any ideas on what steps can actually be taken to change things? How do you force the government/council to reenforce it's own laws? All this property just sitting there while thousands can't afford to buy a house is disgusting! The most shocking part is council houses/flats beig boarded up when so many people on the housing need accomodation badly! Can anything be done? where do we start?
News / 2004 / Dublin Civic Trust opposes plan to delist 500 buildings
August 24 2004: Dublin Civic Trust opposes plan to delist 500 buildings
The Irish Times
Dublin city councillors have until Friday to make submissions on a new development plan for the city which would take 500 Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian houses off the protected buildings list. By removing them from the list the council is effectively proposing to sign the death warrant for hundreds of these houses, according to the president of Dublin Civic Trust. Prof Kevin B. Nolan, who is also vice-president of the Dublin Georgian Society, said a recommendation by the council's planners to delete more than 500 houses from the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) would leave them vulnerable to being "irrevocably damaged".
So write to your local council advising them that building at address ....... is derelict and should be added to the register. Don't whine about it - do it.