For the past six months, the 'Just Housing' research project has been working closely with residents in Cromcastle Court and the Community Action Tenants Union Ireland in Coolock. As part of this work, Dr Fiadh Tubridy and Dr Laure De Tymowski carried out a survey of the conditions in the flats and found that most of the residents are living in dangerous and unhealthy conditions. Among the issues identified were mould and damp, leaks, problems with heating and hot water, pest infestations, overcrowding, damage to windows and doors and poor water quality. A campaign has now begun by the residents, in collaboration with CATU, calling on DCC to carry out necessary maintenance works and prioritise transfer requests from residents in the flats.
Cromcastle Court in Kilmore West in Coolock, was built in the 1970s and the precast concrete buildings, which were also used in Ballymun, are now the last ones standing in Dublin city.
JustHousing is a 3-year, EPA funded research project that began in March 2024. The project is led by Dr. Patrick Bresnihan, Dr. Kevin Credit and Dr. Fiadh Tubridy, and based in the Geography Department, Maynooth University. JustHousing examines how current retrofitting policies exacerbate or alleviate social inequalities associated with Ireland’s housing system. You can find out more and follow the project here.