Are apartments the tenement slums of the future and are they the downfall of local communities?

Is the idea of community and the people that make up those communities, devoid of reason when housing is a necessity for the homeless.

Loretto Nicholl describes her childhood growing up in the new development based on the Garden City movement with blackberry picking, strolls by the river and country walks to Kilnamanagh. If it sounds idyllic, it's because it was!

In the last few decades, the carefully planned safe haven of the early 20th century was sold off by the councils to tenants or private purchasers, reducing safe housing for lower income families.

Since the decline of social housing being built, a huge housing crisis has remerged. Following several decades of recession, the re-emergence of local slums in nearby flat complexes and a sharp rise in homelessness the government were again put under pressure to build safe, affordable housing for the masses.

Local residents of Crumlin feel that it is now being over developed. One such scheme is a particular pain point, Glebe house. The community is over run with crime and congestion. What it needs is a focus to bring the people together

When I look at these issues, I feel the focus needs to be about building onto history and creating a great place to live, to give the community a sense of belonging and a place to be proud to live. Building for the sake of building is a mistake.

If the pandemic has thought us nothing else, it's to look after our mental health and others.

What could be more soothing than a walk in the local park or a trip to the countryside.

The questions remains, if all of the green space that remains in Crumlin is paved over for apartments, how would you ever get to know your neighbours? Is building homes more beneficial than communities? The current crisis says yes.

The disparity between the architectural designs is diluting the historical integrity of the village, but also if we don't learn from the mistakes of the past, we may end up in a similar position with rising crime and slum like conditions. We only need to look back a couple of decades to Dolphins barn flats and Fatima Mansions.