Drumcondra saga showcases dereliction of housing and of civic duty

Sir, – The saga of the two houses on Ferguson Road, Drumcondra (Houses bought by council for social housing in Dublin face demolition, Home, April 7th) has lasted decades. Living a few feet from them is a constant reminder of their age-long dereliction and the dereliction of civic duty. And of course the scandal of vacancy, decay and lost accommodation in a housing crisis and in the beautiful and sought-after Triangle Estate.

Dublin City Council has said the condition of the houses now excludes social housing and the options are either redevelopment of the land or sale on the private market. But the subsidence was a factor decades before the compulsory purchase eight years ago. It was always necessary to demolish the houses, drive stabilisers into the foundations and rebuild. It just wasn’t done.

At least five years ago, I was at a housing seminar in the Mansion House where a senior official himself illustrated dereliction with these two houses.

It appears the new Dublin plan for all derelict accommodation is to dismiss the option of social housing and sell a scarce public asset, city land, on the market. The result across the city is likely to be new housing, but it will be unaffordable for most. – Yours, etc,