What do new housing developments mean for Tallaght and its sense of community?
New apartment blocks appearing on the Tallaght skyline in south Dublin are not to everyone's taste. One man is amazed by the progress,
I never thought we’d have skyscrapers in Tallaght.
Whereas another is more unsure,
I am hoping that these are not going to become the new tenements.
Some residents are concerned the regeneration is not conducive to Tallaght’s traditional sense of community and real neighbourhoods.
Tallaght resident Tara De Buitléar fears high rise living could have a detrimental effect on the community spirit that has been synonymous with Tallaght since the 1980s. She is concerned a situation will develop,
Where neighbour doesn’t know neighbour and people are living very isolated, insular lives.
Senior planner with South Dublin County Council Paul Hogan explains urban communities are different to suburban communities. However apartment dwellers avail of the advantages of urban living such as,
Good public transport, access to services and amenities and some communal facilities too.
Karen Lenihan is not planning to raise a family in her apartment building as she feels a housing estate has a better sense of community.
I don’t think you get that same sense in the big, large apartment blocks.
Senior Architect with South Dublin County Council Eddie Conroy believes people need to give urban living a chance and experience the benefits it can bring. When they do they will discover,
It’s possible to build a new, worthwhile city that they can relate to in a traditional way.
The property landscape is rapidly changing, not only in Tallaght but across Ireland. Whether attitudes and expectations can change as quickly, remains to be seen.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 4 July 2006. The reporter is Philip Bromwell.
