Concerns have been raised over a potential u-turn from Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy on planned affordable homes in Dublin.

The Irish Glass Bottle House site was identified for 900 social and affordable homes by the Minister.

Calling on Minister Murphy to commit funding to the project, Labour Senator Kevin Humphreys said: "I don't know why the Department of Housing appears to be strongly resisting funding social and affordable housing in the south inner city on the Irish Glass Bottle House site, when their Minister is the local TD.

"An agreement for 900 social and affordable housing to be allocated to local residents in the area was made in May 2017, and the Fine Gael Government is dragging its feet on delivering this. 

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"As we saw this week in Capital Docks, the south inner city is being left with no new social and affordable housing. Residents are worried that the agreement for the IGB site in the Poolbeg West SDZ will be withdrawn.

"It has been two years and two Ministers later, and still people in our area anxiously await confirmation on how 900 social and affordable units are going to be funded."

These comments come as the community of Ringsend, Irishtown and Sandymount prepare for a protest on the issue this Saturday, 09 February.

Mr Humphreys added: "I am calling on Minister Eoghan Murphy to commit to funding these units once and for all to remove any uncertainty. We can't afford the debacle we have seen in the Docklands SDZ.

"There is real concern that the Minister for Housing will do a u-turn on this promise and local residents will miss an opportunity of purchasing a home in their locality."

(CM/JG)