People began moving into The Paddocks in Donabate in 2019, and the original planning permission included requirements for essential infrastructure such as footpaths and green spaces.
At the moment, residents are left with incomplete walkways, missing hedges, misplaced streetlights, and other issues impacting accessibility.
Social Democrats councillor Joan Hopkins recently visited The Paddocks and confirmed the ongoing issues have still to be addressed.
“There are missing curbs, footpaths and trees, but the council doesn’t have the necessary legislative tools to follow up with developers,” she said.
Cllr Hopkins has been advocating for a deputation, which would allow residents to address the council directly and request the completion of public areas and amenities.
“We’ve been pushing for this over the last few months, to let Paddocks residents go in and speak directly to the council,” she said.
“The council has no control over how long a developer can take to hand an area over. The council won’t take charge of an estate unless it’s up to a certain standard, but there’s no time limit on that.”
Social Democrats housing spokesperson, Cian O’Callaghan, proposed a motion to amend the recent planning bill, suggesting a time limit of roughly 18 months for developers to hand over a completed phase to the council.
However, the motion wasn’t included in the bill.
“As it stands, residents in new – and sometimes older – estates can be left waiting decades for the council to take charge. It’s a long, drawn-out process, and often, developers just walk off the pitch,” Cllr Hopkins added.
The council cannot assume responsibility for maintenance, landscaping, and other upkeep tasks until the developer, Aljaco Limited, completes these essential features and formally requests council management.
The lack of enforcement measures to ensure timely completion compounds the issue, leaving residents are increasingly frustrated.
Other Donabate estates face similar delays, including Cobbe Court on Portrane Road, where residents were left without public lighting for over a year after moving in.
Labour councillor Corina Johnston said the situation in The Paddocks unfortunately “isn’t unique”.
“We are seeing an increase in estates being left unfinished,” she said, citing Cobbe Court and Glaslinn as examples.
“The difficulty is that the council does not take estates in charge, including footpaths, roads, playgrounds and public open spaces, unless they receive a request from the developer.
“Even then, the process can take a few years, and some developers move on to other projects, leaving estates unfinished and residents completely frustrated.
“The only recourse for residents is to submit a plebiscite to the planning authority to take the estate in charge. There’s an increase in such requests, but the timeline is lengthy.
“The residents in The Paddocks, Glaslinn, and Cobbe Court are extremely frustrated with the situation, and I share their frustration.
“The impact on residents is detrimental. Public open spaces cannot remain unfinished and unused, it is unfair to families and young children,” she added.
A spokesperson for Fingal County Council said: “This is an open Fingal County Council planning enforcement file in respect of the Paddocks, Donabate.
“The Council’s investigations are ongoing and we can make no further comment at this stage.”
Aljaco Limited has been contacted for comment.
