Dublin City Council votes to rezone Liberties depot site for housing

Dublin City Council (DCC) has voted to rezone land in the Liberties for a council depot and development of 100 housing units, despite opposition from several councillors in the area.

The local authority plan to consolidate other depot space from several sites onto Marrowbone Lane in south inner-city Dublin, as well as providing social housing and two all-weather pitches on the land.

Consolidating depot space on the site would free up other depot sites on council-owned land to deliver up to 300 social-housing units, council officials said.

The motion to rezone the land was opposed by People Before Profit councillor Tina MacVeigh, who said the local community wanted the land to provide additional sporting facilities.

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Local sporting clubs had campaigned for a full-sized playing pitch in the area, and would not be served by two smaller training pitches, she said.

Green Party Cllr Patrick Costello said he would oppose the motion as the land was a “perfect site for lots of housing, and public housing,” and the council’s proposal did not go far enough in that regard.

Independent Cllr Mannix Flynn said if councillors rejected the plan and blocked the housing development, the local authority would be "ridiculed" by Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy.

Sinn Féin Cllr Mícheál Mac Donncha was critical of the lack of information provided to residents, which had allowed “rumour and false information” to spread, including that the development was to create a “super-depot” that would be in operation 24/7.

The motion to approve the land rezoning was passed by 41 votes to 12.

Earlier in the meeting councillors criticised politicians seeking to oppose housing developments through judicial review proceedings.

The comments were a reference to Labour Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, who recently held a public meeting to organise support for a court challenge, to overturn planning permission granted to a 164-home development in Howth, north Co Dublin, in his constituency.