Dominick Street flats to be blocked off amid ‘extreme’ drug dealing and anti-social behaviour

Fri 16 Jun 2023 at 14:56

Public access to the vacant Dominick Streets flats and an associated car park are due to be boarded up to prevent “extreme” drug-dealing and anti-social behaviour.

Dublin City Council will secure the walkway and car park along the flat complex on Dominick street Lower following requests from local residents and gardaí.

The site will be secured by hoarding at the front of the flat complex facing onto the Luas stop and the back of the complex will be secured by steel fencing.

The council hopes stopping access to the site will prevent further anti-social behaviour and protect the public from the adverse effects of the vacant site.

Councillor Cieran Perry said the buildings that are due to be demolished for redevelopment need to be demolished “as soon as practically possible”.

“There is extreme anti-social behaviour, drug-dealing going down at this site, possibly the worst in Dublin as far as I’m aware.

“We cannot have the continued black spot of drug dealing and crime down there,” he said.

While councillor Christy Burke said the level of criminality in the area is the “worst I’ve ever seen”, comparing it to the heroin epidemic in Dublin during the 1980s.

“It’s serious stuff,” he told councillors on Tuesday at the local area meeting.

“In the early days of the heroin epidemic it was done in broad daylight, nobody cared who they were offending or what authorities might arrest them.

“That went on morning, noon and night from storing heroin, crack cocaine, right across the board, on balconies, shoots and in other small pockets of the complex,” he said.

Cllr Janice Boylan said people are “constantly under the attack of anti-social behaviour and serious drug dealing” which is affecting businesses, residents, people walking on the street and those waiting at the Luas stop.

Councillor Ray McAdams said the issue is “down-right thugery and criminality”.

Concerns were also raised over hoarding being erected as it is “easily damaged” and could be used for storing drugs, with calls for murals to be painted on the hoarding to improve the appearance of the street.

In response, David Forde, area manager said the hoarding would be erected “as soon as possible”, but a temporary access point would remain open for access to the creche.

The Dominick Street Regeneration Project has seen some 70 new homes built directly across the road from the old flats.