Dublin City Council has said it will “take some time” to resolve the issue of one of its housing units being used as stables in Cherry Orchard, west Dublin.
The council also said it is “fully aware” of two other properties in the area being used for similar purposes.
The local authority purchased 31 Croftwood Drive in 2018 for €138,000. The semidetached house remains boarded-up, with land to the side of the property and a back garden being used as stables by locals, as has been the case for years.
Dublin City Council has plans to build a second three-bedroomed house on the side garden.
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The council said last year that works commenced over previous months to refurbish the property, but its contractor on site “came under some intimidation”.
[ Intimidation in a Dublin suburb, and the derelict house being used as stablesOpens in new window ]
A spokeswoman for the council said it is continuing to work to resolve “the situation at this property” and is engaging with relevant stakeholders to progress the matter.
She said it is a priority for the council but it “will take some time to work through”.
The front gardens of two other boarded-up local authority housing units in the area, 15 Croftwood Gardens and 29 Cherry Orchard Avenue, are being used to store horse carts and trailers.
The council said it was “fully aware of the situation” regarding these properties.
“The housing team have been actively engaging with the previous tenants to progress the matter; one property will be undergoing works in early 2026 and active engagement continues with the tenant on the other property,” it said.
People Before Profit councillor Hazel De Nortúin said the council must re-engage with the community regarding 31 Croftwood Drive and must ensure there is a suitable site for local people to keep their horses.
“I would support 100 per cent taking that house back for residential use, but I do have a caveat: the council needs to engage with that group again because you’re not going to eradicate horse-ownership,” she said.
“You have to face that fact it’s going to be there. This is the fallout of that. Sometimes they try and put the blinkers on and plough ahead.”
[ Mistreated horses being stabled in vacant Limerick properties, says TDOpens in new window ]
Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan said the “real issue” is that the local authority must ensure vacant properties are “turned around as quickly as possible”.
“The city council needs to prioritise areas like Cherry Orchard, ensure that when the property is empty, if a tenant has moved out or transferred or whatever the reason is, that it is allocated as quickly as possible. And that a family is moved in to stabilise a community, to contribute to the community, to meet the needs of the community and to ensure that the empty property doesn’t become the site of antisocial behaviour or vandalism or isn’t used for other activities,” he said.
“Turnaround times are slow in general, and in some communities it has a greater effect, particularly in relation to houses. While flats need to be turned around, with houses it just attracts antisocial behaviour and can be turned into use for other needs that don’t contribute to the community. It doesn’t happen so much with flats.”
Dublin City Council said last year that when one of its housing units becomes vacant it allows two weeks for tenants to remove any personal belongings, a 10- to 16-week period to revamp the property, and a two-week period to allow a new tenant to inspect the property and move in.
