Committee Reports::Interim and Final Report - Appropriation Accounts 1967 - 1968::12 November, 1970::Appendix

APPENDIX 15.

BALLYMUN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT: AMENITY GRANT

The payment of £20,000 to Dublin Corporation in 1968/69 from Subhead G of the Vote of the Department of Local Government is part of a grant of £50,000 which is being paid to the Corporation over the three years 1968/69, 1969/70 and 1970/71 towards the cost of landscaping and amenity works on the site of the Ballymun Housing Development.


In addition to the works covered by the Ballymun housing contract the Corporation authorised incidental and supplementary works costing £250,000 approximately which were considered necessary for the satisfactory completion of the overall development and for the provision of a suitable living environment. The works in, question included paving in the pedestrian and open areas drainage of park lands lighting, ramps, steps and retaining walls, grass, tree planting and fencing. None of these works would qualify for housing subsidy and the Corporation in authorising them to be carried out made representations for a grant towards the cost.


The grant was allocated on the 50% basis towards the cost of works estimated at £100,000 and comprising soft landscaping works such as the planting of grass and trees and the provision of fencing and other related works. In fact the grant is only 20% of the full cost of the supplementary works carried out as described above.


It was decided that a special grant was justified in this case because of the scale and significance of the project at Ballymun. The Corporation’s special grant is being paid out of this subhead because it is the most convenient arrangement. The amount of funds available for amenity or derelict site works in other parts of the country is not affected because the amount of the Corporation’s special grant is additional to the provision that would otherwise be made for amenity grants and derelict site grants generally in the particular year.


M. LAWLESS,


Secretary, Department of Local Government.


7th April, 1970.