Finglas Regeneration - Democratic Society?

dublin | environment | news report Friday July 20, 2007 11:30 by Kevin

Finglas Village Regeneration Plan

Monday night there was a meeting in the Shamrock Public House for tenants and leaseholders in Finglas Village. The meeting was chaired by the Finglas Cabra Partnership. On the platform were Minister Pat Carey, Ken Hand Dublin City Council, and a representative from the Finglas Traders Association, the organizers of the meeting. Also in attendance were local politicians Cllr. Dessie Ellis, Cllr. Mary Murphy, Cllr. Liam Kelly and Cllr. Bill Tormey. In attendance was Stephen Keogh from Chatham Management, Managing agent for the owner, Bernard McNamara.

The following was circulated to the meeting by the FTA as a briefing of the ‘story so far’.

The story so far:
Finglas Regeneration announced by Dublin City Council in the City development plan 1999.

Oct 2002
The Drake Inn begin discussions with Spain Courtney Doyle/McNamara to sell the Drakes ownership of the main shopping centre car park ‘use rights’
April 2005
Drake accepts offer.
May 2005
The offer is withdrawn.
Nov 2006
Finglas traders hold their first meeting and requested that local TD’s intervene to help resolve this long drawn- out and complicated deal and to move the re-development along for the good of all
Discussions begin again between Spain Courtney Doyle/McNamara and the Drake Inn with the help of local TD’s.
May 2007
Drake Inn reached heads of agreement with the developers SCD/McNamara.

Chatham Management acting on behalf of SCD/McNamara informs local traders that this deal comes with conditions:
The Traders are informed that the deal between the Drake Inn and SCD/McNamara will not go ahead unless the remaining tenants come to an agreement with the developers.

This has left the trader and locals in limbo. We now feel that this redevelopment could drag on for years.
• July 2007: Champion Sports owned by Bernard McNamara opens for business in Finglas Village.
• July 2007: Superquinn Finglas owned by Bernard McNamara sold to private investors.

It must be stressed that the traders and local groups have relied on gossip and second hand information for the latest information in relation to the redevelopment of our village. The communication from the developers/owners has being appalling to say the least.

A Profile of Bernard McNamara
(Finglas regeneration developer)
In recent times Bernard McNamara has acquired
• Shares in the Shelbourne, Conrad, Burlington
• Montrose hotels in Dublin amongst others the Radisson in Galway.
• He has a stake in Superquinn purchased for €450 million.
• Champion Sports he also bought for the tidy sum of €64 million
• Carrisbrook House in Ballsbridge at €46 million
• The headquarters of Allianz €100 million,
• Irish Glass and Bottle site in Ringsend for € 412 million.
• He has won the contract to redevelop Grange Gorman Dublin 7
• The list goes on and on, his name is everywhere but our interest is driven purely from the position as shop retailers in Finglas Village Dublin.
McNamara purchased Finglas Village over four years ago for the princely sum of €14 million. He was subsequently granted planning permission to redevelop our village, a development which includes hundreds of apartments from which we are sure he stands to make millions. Three years on and not a sod has turned. The people of Finglas are led to believe that the three year delay is as a result of the unresolved dispute between McNamara and a local Bar (The Drake Inn). Unfortunately this has left the people of Finglas in Limbo and meanwhile the Village deteriorates before our eyes. Short term leases close up, Iceland moves out and Supervalue (Finglas) is bought by his good self and an associate. It is subsequently closed leaving the shop owners without the agreed anchor tenant.
Finglas crumbles apart as tenants and residents wait the long wait in hope for a new beginning. Tenants see little point investing in cosmetic repairs to premises that were thought to be due for demolition any day. It is not only the traders and their families who are suffering as our village dies a slow death around us. A whole community find themselves lost without the benefit of local shopping especially our senior citizens who now struggle to access daily needs.
We implore McNamara to begin the redevelopment of our village. “Give Finglas back her life before it is too late”.

Footnote:
The general pre election word from Fianna Fail in relation to Finglas Village was that the deal is done between SCD/ McNamara and Drake Inn and that work would commence in the village September 2007. We can only assume there must be truth in this as we know there is a close association between McNamara and Fianna Fail.

The meeting started with an overview of the above by Tom Sheridan – FTA followed by an update by Minister Pat Carey who was miffed at the comment about the comment about “a close association between McNamara and Fianna Fail”. Pat made it clear that he had only met McNamara on one occasion – over 15 years ago. Obviously he took the comment as an implication that he personally had dealings with Mc Namara when Fianna Fail was referred to. Then the chair opened the meeting to the floor.

The first comment from the floor was from a trader in Finglas basically asking when the redevelopment would go ahead. Stephen Keogh CM replied that the development was subject to negotiation and agreement with each of the individual tenants and leaseholders in the village and this would be a lengthy process. He added that if any tenant/leaseholder didn’t come to an agreement with the developer then the whole redevelopment plan would not be proceeded with. This was an attempt by the developer to put a ‘gun to their head’ and pressurise the existing Traders and tenants to agree whatever terms were offered.

The second speaker from the floor John O’Neill asked two questions firstly he commented on the overall state of the existing buildings and asked why they have been left in this state and went on to ask Dublin City council and the councillors in attendance how it came to pass that one developer could purchase almost an entire village? He stated he was fearful that community groups would be priced out of the new development.

The DCC rep, Ken Hand replied that their hands were tied as this was a private sale of privately owned land.

Cllr Dessie Ellis also replied there was nothing we can do about it he gave the impression that he was also concerned about one developer having so much control over the centre of a community. He applauded DCC for the work that they are engaged in to improve the village.

Cllr Mary Murphy agreed that there was something “a little feudal” that a developer could own a village but “barring a revolution” nothing could be done. She went on to say there was a breakdown in communication between the Developer, emphasising that the developer wasn’t doing enough to update people on the redevelopment, and proposed a regular forum be established where the developer could regularly update the community on the plans.

Cllr Bill Tormey stated that he was sick and tired of coming to meetings wher “whingers” were going on about progress. “We live in a democracy and anyone is constitutionally entitled to buy anything they wished once they have the money – they can buy Ireland if they want”. He then went on to outline some strategies for contacting the developer.

John O’Neill then replied to Cllr Bill Tormey that he was entitled to “whinge” as he was representing a community charity renting four units and they required a substantial amount of repair and that he was entitled to be concerned that one individual should have such a monopoly on a community and asked Tormey was his comment a case of “landlords of the world unite?” (Dr Bill is a landlord). He then said that there must be ways the Council can compel the developer to get the project going.

Cllr Liam Kelly then spoke about the importance of the development going ahead and agreed that there needed to be greater communication between all parties involved.

Cllr Bill Tormey then stated that if the development didn’t proceed then there are other developers who could take up the job. “I have met Tom Bailey, a really nice guy” he would be able to take on the job. (Tom Bailey is a director of Bovale who recently made a 25 million settlement with the revenue commissioners for non payment of taxes and, according to the ‘Irish Times’, may be disbarred from holding any directorships). He then stated that just as the developer is entitled to redevelop, so existing tenants and leaseholders were entitled to negotiate the best settlement from the developer and that they shouldn’t feel pressurised to agree poor terms.

A speaker representing the Drake Inn then outlined their negotiations with the developer and confirmed that they had reached agreement over the sale of their part of a car park at the centre of the redevelopment

Cllr Mary Murphy stated that she believed the redevelopment would go ahead soon as it was in the interest of the developer to do so. There are new regulations that the developer will have to comply with that will cost him more money and agreed that the Council should look at ways pressure could be brought to bear by the council.

The meeting ended with an agreement to establish a forum and to contact various owners about the forum.