Dublin City Council has begun demolishing Fatima Mansions flats in Dublin.
Five of the fourteen blocks of flats in Fatima Mansions will be demolished in the first phase of the regeneration of the complex.
The flats, built in 1951 have become known as one of the most deprived complexes in the country.
Dublin City Council hopes to develop the site on a Public Private Partnership basis and says it has already received queries from private developers who want to get involved.
The demolition is due to be finished by Christmas and construction will begin on 110 new houses for residents in February.
Over the next five years, all the flats are due to be pulled down and be replaced by a mix of public and private housing as well as sports and community facilities at a cost of around €150m.
A previous attempt to regenerate the flats in the mid 1980s failed and residents have called on the Government to make sure resources are put in place to deal with the social problems in the area.
Minister of State, Noel Ahern marked the official start of the demolition when he visited the flats this morning. He said all the parties involved had learned from previous mistakes and were committed to making sure the regeneration was successful.
