Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald TD has said that a better housing deal is possible for the Oscar Traynor site in Coolock.

Speaking during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil this afternoon, Teachta McDonald said that Dublin City councillors last night rightly voted down the transfer of public land at Oscar Traynor Road to a private developer as it represented a bad deal for those in housing need.

She called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to make ‘the building of public housing on public land’ the central tenet of government housing policy.

Teachta McDonald said: “This was a bad deal for those who need affordable housing and for those who need social housing. 

“The so-called ‘affordable homes’ included in the Oscar Traynor Road proposal were off the wall and not at all affordable to the vast majority of working people. The full cost of these homes would have been €325,000 for a one-bed and up to €380,000 for a three-bed.

“This is proof positive that as long as housing policy in this state is directed by wealthy developers, we will never fix the housing crisis.

“This is about getting the best deal for people who need affordable housing and people who need social housing. Handing over public land to private developers in the middle of a housing crisis just makes no sense. 

“A better deal that delivers housing for those who need it is possible.The Oscar Traynor development can proceed in the same timeframe as originally envisaged. But it needs government support. It needs exactly the same deal as the one being used in St Michael’s Estate in Inchicore.

“That deal would ensure affordable rents at around €800 per month, and affordable purchases from €230,000 and less.

“This is what real affordable housing looks like and it is the approach that Sinn Féin has been urging the government to adopt.”