Housing activists break into and occupy derelict building set to be transformed into old folks’ homes

Housing activists “used angle grinders” to break into and occupy a building that a housing charity is redeveloping for elderly people on waiting lists.

Activists from the Revolutionary Workers Union broke into a site being redeveloped by Alone at Jamestown Court in Inchicore.

Dublin City Council previously operated a senior citizen housing project with 50 bedists on the site – many of which had been sealed off because of the terrible condition they were in – before it was handed over to Alone in 2019.

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Alone have redeveloped 12 units on the site, which are now occupied, and are hoping to submit a planning application to build and refurbish 43 more units.

The block where the activists are staging their protest is full of “sub-standard” bedsits which are set to be demolished to make way for purpose-built housing units for older people on the housing waiting list.

The charity’s primary concern is for the residents who are living next to the occupied buildings.

They are also worried about being liable for any injuries the protestors may sustain and delays in getting the next stage of the development underway.

The RWU occupied a building on Eden Quay in May which was to be used to house Ukrainian refugees.

They were evicted from the Salvation Army’s premises, which they named James Connolly House, earlier this month.

The RWU said they were using the building at Eden Quay to house the homeless.

They did not respond to queries from Dublin Live about their occupation of the Inchicore block.

However, a Facebook post dated May 19 suggests they occupied a “long-term vacant property” in Dublin which they named “Liam Mellows House”.

The post read: “Union members are hard at work getting the property ready and fit for purpose to house those in need and to help alleviate some of the horrors of homelessness, in the same vein of the ongoing work of James Connolly House.

“The two buildings named after executed Socialist Republican leaders now stand as a beacon to light the way of an All Ireland Housing Revolution.”

An internal Alone memo, which was obtained by Dublin Live, says the activists also named the block in Jamestown Liam Mellows House.

It read: “In the past number of days members of the Revolutionary Workers Union have broken into the steeled up units in Jamestown Court using angle grinders and are now occupying some of the units. They have renamed the development Liam Mellows House.”

The Salvation Army were forced to get a High Court Order to evict the RWU workers. Alone do not want to go down this route because it would be costly and time consuming.

The CEO of the charity, Sean Moynihan, told Dublin Live the activists have taken over the wrong place as they are not “profiting” from the housing crisis.

He said: “We have a three fold plan that is to; ensure our own residents on site are secure, ensure the planning permission doesn’t get delayed and trying to avoid the cost of the High Court.

“The point of the protest is against people who may be profiting from other people’s desire for housing and we wouldn’t be in that boat.

“We understand the anger and the upset at the shortage of housing that is affecting older people and younger people. But ultimately the anger is at people who are profiting and we are not profiting.”

Councillor Mannix Flynn also criticised the activists, saying “the kids of the revolution got it wrong”.

Cllr Flynn said: “All they want is for these people to understand that there is no traction in the game here. That they are barking up the wrong tree and they missed the point. These aren’t Dublin City Council gaffs.

“I am calling them to vacate the premises. I understand that they want to highlight the situation but this is causing no end of damage and the insurance premiums for these organisations are simply shooting up.

“This is causing problems and causing unnecessary stress and anxiety to residents in these blocks. It is not the way to go about protesting. They should vacate them immediately.”

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