Dublin City Council Has Hit Out At ‘Publicity Stunt’ Apollo House

The CEO of Dublin City Council has hit out at the occupation of Apollo House, saying he is “not impressed” by the movement.

In an interview with The Irish Independent, Owen Keegan accused some of those involved as being engaged in a “publicity stunt” and said that the effort would not aid Dublin’s homeless.

“I have genuine concerns with Apollo House. I’ve no doubt that many involved are genuinely motivated, but for others it has all the appearance of a publicity stunt,” he said.

“Appropriating a private or public property which is not fit for purpose is not the answer. A commercial building doesn’t meet standards. I’m not impressed at all.”

He also defended the local authority’s record when it comes to dealing with homelessness in the city, saying that the lack of housing supply in the general market has been “deeply worrying”

“Unfortunately we stopped building social housing for a prolonged period during the austerity times. The State has responded, and we’re back in business, but it does take time to gear up. Delivery has been slower than we would have liked.

“We have four or five rapid build schemes, all of which are finished or on site at the moment, and we’ve used our emergency planning powers. I don’t think the city council has been slow, once we got the go-ahead to re-enter the market.”

You can read the full interview here.

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