Republican News · Thursday 31 January 2002

Keep off the grass

Residents in the luxury Clarion Quay Apartments in Dublin Docklands have been informed by the complex's private management company that a communal green space within the development is out of bounds to social tenants.

Wyse and Co told the residents of the previously unknown rule after some of the children from the social apartments had been playing in the area.

Gerry Fay of the North Wall Community Association says he has seen copies of tenancy agreements, and they do not mention that the communal space is out of bounds.

"The Dublin Development Authority is charged with developing the docklands, but also with not excluding the people who have lived there for many years," Gerry says. "But when an episode like this takes place, where children are told they cannot play on a green space because the people in the private apartments will be upset, what message does that send out to the people of Dublin?"

"In these apartments, three blocks were built for private buyers, and one for social. Now they're saying that the communal space is out of bounds for one of the block's children. That's not integration."

Sinn Féin Councillor Christy Burke said that there has been talk of a wall or a wire mesh going up around the green area.

"The company that developed the apartments promised a play area for children and in the absence of a proper play park, the communal area is all the residents have. Building a wall around it is discrimination."

This comes on the back of the government's decision to drop the 20 percent rule which obliged private developers to provide 20 percent of their developments for social housing.