Northside Peop e TEL: 01 8621611. www.dublinpeople.com Vol. 18. No. 17 30 April - 6 May 2014 WEST Save our shopping centre Ballymun residents hand in huge petition in attempt to rescue flagship project Jack Gleeson RESIDENTS in Ballymun are demanding official action to save their local shopping centre before it’s too late. A petition with over 7,500 when it went into receivership signatures was handed into in 2012. Dublin City Council offices last NAMA says it is in regular week by locals and public rep- discussions with DCC and offi- resentatives calling for the trou- cial receivers for Ballymun bled Ballymun Town Centre to Shopping Centre Ltd, PWC, and be saved. is actively working with them The future of the centre was to devise a joint strategy for the thrown into doubt last month centre over the short to when anchor tenant Tesco an- medium term. nounced it was pulling out as SIGNATURES the Town Centre store was no However, last week local longer viable. residents demonstrated their The Town Centre is currently frustration with the uncertainty jointly owned by Dublin City surrounding the Town Centre Council and NAMA, who took by handing in the petition and over the loans of Ballymun a protest is due to be held at Shopping Centre Ltd - a com- the centre on Friday, May 16. pany effectively owned by de- Signatures on the petition velopers Treasury Holdings - were collected by local resi- dents including Christine Carroll ABC Free Letterbox and Colette Boswell, as well as Delivery & Free Pick-up staff from McManus Pharmacy in Ballymun and local Fianna Northside People West ■ 31,227 Copies Fail election candidate, Laura PUB ART: Internationally renowned Danish artist Susanne Thea is pictured at the launch of her collection of 11 tapestries in the Brian Boru Pub, Glasnevin. The tapestries were purchased by pub owners, the Hedigan family, and are on display in its art gallery on the first floor. The pub is 1st Jan - 31st Dec 2013 Reid. 100% Free Continued on page 2 built on the site where Brian Boru is believed to have camped before the Battle of Clontarf. 2 NEWS 30 APRIL 2014 • NORTHSIDE PEOPLE WEST Save our shopping centre Continued on page 2 these issues to try and get them “Residents are calling for an assur- “Ballymun shopping centre has brought up at Government level.” ance that retail in their area will be been at the heart of the community for In correspondence seen by North- preserved, and that services vital to more than 40 years,” Ms Reid said. side People NAMA say there is no list their community will be continued,” he “The imminent closure of Tesco and of prospective tenants looking to lease said. the uncertainty over the future of the units in the centre. However, Mr Tyrell “We need to ensure that if Tesco shopping centre will only continue to believes every unit in the centre could leaves, retail services for the people of cause detriment to the local economy be filled within 4-6 weeks and is call- Ballymun will be continued. Over and stifle the creation of local jobs. ing on NAMA to devise a short term 7,000 people have signed this petition. “A plan of action needs to be im- plan with DCC for the centre. Their voices cannot be ignored.” plemented for Ballymun Village to “I would encourage as many peo- Local Fine Gael candidate, Noel drive retail businesses and local job ple as possible to contact NAMA to ask Rock, said local residents without cars creation. Ballymun deserves better them to start letting units out in the depended on a viable local shopping than this.” centre again, to help create local jobs centre. Another local election candidate, and give us back our business hub until “My concern is for residents, many Sean Tyrell (Ind), also voiced his con- funding is available for construction of of whom have done their weekly shop cerns about the future of the Town a new shopping centre. there for decades,” he told Northside Centre. “A lot of Government and council People. “The people are being kept in the officials try to make Ballymun out to “My own family have been shop- dark about the future of the current or be this big success story, but the reality ping there for as long as I can remem- a new centre,” he said. is it’s not.” ber and, in truth, this will be a “I've emailed NAMA, The Taoiseach Cllr Paul McAuliffe (FF) said last hammer-blow to them as, like many ■ Pictured with the petition outside DCC offices in Ballymun are (l-r) Fianna Fail candidate Laura and The Ministers for Jobs, Social Pro- week’s petition showed that the peo- local residents, they don't own a car Reid with local residents Christine Carroll and Colette Boswell and Cllr Paul McAuliffe (FF) tection and Public Expenditure about ple of Ballymun “need to be heard”. and rely on local services such as this.” Shopping centre saga dates back to the ‘90s ted, including one from Treas- Treasury Holdings. reported that REO owed e2 bil- tail units elsewhere. ury against conditions laid At the time the proposed lion in loans to banks and had Since then there has been down by the council. new e800 million centre was asked NAMA to provide it with little movement on the future The project was to have the largest mixed use town working capital to fund its op- of the shopping centre. Some been built over a 10 year period centre that permission had ever erations. land north of the shopping cen- but three years later work still been granted for in Ireland. The In 2012 REO eventually tre and south of IKEA was put hadn’t begun, despite the e25 plan included 360 apartments, ceased trading, without even up for sale earlier this year and million deal between Treasury 60,000 sq mt of retail units, enough money to appoint a liq- current zoning allows it to be and the council operating 35,000 sq mt of offices and uidator. used for retail and commercial through Ballymun Regeneration 11,000 sq mt for other uses in- NAMA took over the loans developments. Ltd (BRL). cluding substantial leisure and relating to Ballymun Shopping However, it could take years Initial planning objections civic amenities with cinemas, Centre and in 2013 BRL sought for a plan to materialise and were eventually resolved but bowling alleys, a public library clarification from NAMA on its there’s no guarantee that it by 2006 a new row over the and restaurants. intentions, warning that it may would be used as part of a value of the land emerged with However, a year later it was make its own plans to build re- town centre. ■ Plans for Spring Cross Shopping Centre were announced in 2009 BRL claiming the price had Jack Gleeson In 2003 Treasury Holdings tripled to e75 million and the was granted permission to build original contract documentation a 170,000 sq mt mixed use hadn’t been completed. THE future of Ballymun Shopping Centre has been a con- town centre scheme that would tinuing saga since details of a new Town Centre were first The dispute was eventually have revamped the existing settled and plans for the new mentioned in the ‘Masterplan for a new Ballymun’ in shopping centre and built new Spring Cross Shopping Centre 1998. units on an additional eight were announced in 2009 by The creation of a vibrant a large Northside population acres. property investment firm Real town centre that would be on was one of the key aims of the However, a number of objec- Estate Opportunities (REO), the Metro North line and serve Ballymun Regeneration Project. tions to the project were submit- whose biggest shareholder was Northside mural pokes fun at Communist dictator REPORTS of North Korean officials visiting a hair salon in The North Korean dictator's On his Facebook page the London after poking fun with a poster of their leader’s un- attempts to assert his authority artist wrote: “Kim Jung-un re- usual hairstyle have not deterred a Dublin art gallery from on the world inspired the street minds me of this Austin Powers exhibiting a piece mocking the Communist dictator. artist Solus to create the Austin character Dr Evil. They both Powers-style mural in his hon- want to put laser beam guns on The work by Dublin street Austin Powers and the photo of our last summer. sharks heads.” artist, Solus, was commissioned it went viral after it was up- by Balla Ban gallery owner, loaded to various social media Frank O’Dea, after he saw a sites. photo of it on a Northside wall “I’m just glad that we don’t have a North Korean embassy in Smithfield. or consulate here in Ireland, The artwork displays leader otherwise I would have been Kim Jong-un as fictional charac- expecting a visit from some of- ter ‘Dr Evil’ from the movie ficials,” O’Dea joked. ■ GARDA AID: Local Finglas gardai Sinead Swan and Sean Burke are pictured with Chief Superintendent Declan Coburn and baby Cian Oliver Byrne at a recent cy- clethon held at Charlestown Shopping Centre. The event was held to raise funds for baby Cian who has a genetic syndrome called Cri Du Chat (Cry of the Cat). There are only 14 other known cases in Ireland and Cian needs constant 24-hour care. Cri Du Chat Awareness Week takes place from May 4-10. To find out how you can sup- ■ Frank O’Dea with the piece by street artist, Solus, of Kim port Cian search for the Care for Cian page on Facebook.