A report detailing how public land in Dublin would be sold off to raise €100 million for local government funding has been rejected by city councillors.
A report from Chief Executive Owen Keegan had detailed how 15 plots around the city could be sold to raise money for sporting and cultural facilities and said they would not be suitable for social housing.
The report was criticised by councillors from all parties, with many asking how revenue would be raised when all public land is sold off.
Sinn Féin Councillor Daithí Doolan described the plan as selling off the family silver just to keep the city council afloat while there were 30,000 waiting for social housing.
Councillor Kevin Donoghue (Labour) said it was frustrating that €22 million could be found for a white water rafting facility but not for these other sporting and cultural projects.
Both Fianna Fáil Councillor Deirdre Heney and her Fine Gael counterpart Councillor James Geoghegan said the plan had caused public concern.
Councillor Neasa Hourigan of the Green Party said her party advocated the introduction of a bed tax on tourists, which could raise between €40m and €120m.
Mr Keegan had said some of the land was in areas that already had a concentration of social housing and the council had a policy of encouraging mixed tenure.
In his report he said some plots were zoned for industry, such as a site in Ballymun near the new Decathlon store while others, such as the College of Music on Chatham Row - which is in a city centre retail area - were not suitable for any type of housing.
He said that while Government funding was available for housing and construction levies could be used for transport projects, there was a grant deficit when it came to sporting and cultural projects.
Mr Keegan said if there was no revenue available then the projects could not go ahead, adding that he had no power to introduce a bed tax.
The projects to be funded by the land sales include €15m for the redevelopment of Dalymount Park from the sale of Tolka Park, a total of €5.5m for artist studios around the city, €1.9m to demolish Ballymun Shopping Centre and €7m for Rutland Street School.
The sites include waste depots to be sold off for a consolidated facility in Ballymun and a site in Belmayne what would be sold to the Department of Education for a secondary school.
Chief Executive Keegan said that 15 sites will be submitted individually to councillors for sale approval over the next three years and he said he was confident that most will be agreed.
