Harris criticised for exempting TU Dublin land from law requiring ‘social’ housing

Taoiseach Simon Harris’s decision to exempt State-owned lands at the former DIT college on Aungier Street from a law requiring their redevelopment to include social and affordable housing has been described as “nothing short of madness”.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald made the claim about what is now TU Dublin as she said that “transferring State land to commercial developers is a disaster for housing affordability”.

Mr Harris said, however, that it had always been the case that “these properties would be disposed of and that every cent of the money, every cent, would go into the delivery of education”.

The Taoiseach told Ms McDonald “it’s regrettable that you misrepresent the Government’s position conveniently on Aungier Street”. He said “it’s particularly regrettable” because, as a TD for Dublin Central, she knew more than most that legislation was passed to establish the Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA), which was charged with disposing of State properties “and putting the money that’s generated from that into your constituency”.

He added that “you’ll excuse me if I don’t tolerate your faux outrage here today, because you know well the law in relation to the Grangegorman Development Agency”.

As part of an agreed deal, reported by The Irish Times on Tuesday, ownership of a large parcel of land at TU Dublin will transfer to developers “as primary consideration” for their work in designing, building and financing the next phase of the Grangegorman campus.

The State-controlled GDA can realise full market value from the transfer of the lands, which the Land Development Agency (LDA) said it would not be seeking to acquire.

The LDA Act requires that developments with five or more houses on relevant land must have a specified percentage used for social and affordable homes, although exemptions can be made.

Mr Harris signed the exemption order at the request of Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien, excluding Aungier Street from the Act requiring 100 per cent social and affordable housing on relevant Dublin land.

Raising the issue in the Dáil Ms McDonald told the Taoiseach “you’ve decided to transfer that State land to a private developer without condition” adding that “you won’t accept either that transferring public land to private developers is simply the wrong policy”.

She said “you’ve exempted the developer from building social and affordable homes on what is prime city centre land, more bad decision making, [making] a huge mistake again with your eyes wide open”.

Ms McDonald claimed the Government had made a similar mistake with land at Oscar Traynor Road in Coolock on Dublin’s northside, where she said people were being asked “to pay between €400,000 and €475,000 for a three-bedroom home under your so-called affordable housing scheme. For a one bed it’s between €264,000 and €309,000.”