The illegal dump that has been enraging residents in north Coolock for over a decade is set to cost €10 million to clean up and redevelop, according to Dublin City Council's boss.
The giant mound of commercial and household rubbish has been building in Moatview Court housing estate for over ten years and has led to fury from local residents. Dublin Live previously revealed that €400,000 had been spent clearing a "section" of the site already.
However, Council Chief Executive Owen Keegan has said he is now "satisfied that dumping on the site has effectively ceased" after a year long operation to shut it down. The operation included "covert and overt surveillance of the site 6 days a week" as well as regular garda checkpoints and on-site visits.
Read more: Council pay €400,000 to remove 'section' of illegal Coolock dump plaguing locals
In a letter to Councillors, Mr Keegan blamed the decade-long wait for a solution on the "very high level of criminality" associated with those carrying out the dumping which meant Council staff could not access the site without garda support due to "level of intimidation". The "current estimate" for cleaning the site and treating the waste is €7 million but the Council Chief is looking for €10 million from the Government to cover the costs of the plan which includes plans to build social housing.
The letter also highlights a three stage plan to clean up the dump and eventually build public housing on the site. Gardai will be trained and authorised by the City Council to take "appropriate enforcement actions for illegal dumping" in the first stage.
The training is expected to take four to six weeks and a new camera will also be installed in the next eight weeks which will allow for 24-hour surveillance of the site. Stage two includes the removal and treatment of the waste as well as the construction of a new boundary wall.
The third and final stage of the plan is to redevelop the site alongside an Approved Housing Body. The hope is to have preliminary plans and an AHB selected for the redevelopment by the end of 2023.
Mr Keegan added that he is seeking €10 million from "relevant" Government Departments to cover the "costs of the necessary works". Independent Councillor Mannix Flynn, who had raised the issue at a recent committee meeting, told Dublin Live
He said: "I am flabbergasted that it has taken this long to extract this report from the CEO. He is speaking about seeking €10 million to remove rubbish and waste that has been put there by organised criminal gangs.
"It is just unacceptable at this stage that not only our Dublin City Council but also An Garda Siochana, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Revenue Commissioners and indeed the Criminal Assets Bureau seem to be asleep here."
He added: "This is subsidising criminal organisations to the tune of €10 million who are allowed over the past number of years to dump vast amounts of waste."
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