'Pause' over Labre Park regeneration labelled the 'final nail in the coffin'

Labour TD George Lawlor TD said residents at Labre Park had been 'collectively abandoned'.

Dublin City Council’s proposed “pause” to the regeneration of the country’s oldest Traveller accommodation scheme has been described as the “final nail in the coffin” for the project.

Labre Park was built in 1967 by the government of the day. However, a number of failed plans to regenerate the Ballyfermot site have come and gone since 1999.

In 2019, after an extensive plan had been undertaken, a report found a major flooding risk which has led to further delays.

A plan for 12 new homes and 19 refurbishments has been proposed, with a completion date of 2030.

Yesterday, at the joint committee on key issues affecting the Traveller community, Shay L’estrange of the Ballyfermot Travellers Action Project said a 2025 plan had received backing by Dublin City Council’s (DCC) departments but that “for unexplained reasons, the DCC engineering and drainage department withdrew its support at the last minute”.

“This decision has left the community devastated. While DCC describes this as a ‘pause’, the community views it as the final nail in the project’s coffin,” he said.

Mr L’estrange said a plan by approved housing body Clúid had included a membrane in the homes to stop landfill gases rising up from the site. 

However, he said the latest proposal from Dublin City Council “fails to address either the substandard build quality or the potential for gas leaks”, adding: “This means families are not only being left in substandard housing but in a potentially dangerous environment.”

Mick Mulhern, assistant chief executive at Dublin City Council, told the committee Labre Park “holds a unique and longstanding role as the State’s oldest purpose-built Traveller accommodation scheme” and that its continued development “remains a priority for Dublin City Council”.

Mr Mulhern said: “We recognise that DCC’s failure to secure approval for a regeneration plan for Labre Park is deeply frustrating for the local community, the residents and all stakeholders involved.”

Labour TD George Lawlor said there had been six iterations of Traveller accommodation plans and that the Labre Park scheme was “abandoned” in each one. 

He said the residents had been “collectively abandoned” and called for Dublin City Council to resolve the issue and give people “dignity”.