Politicians and residents raise alarm over 18,500 homes on former Dunsink dump

The proposed 18,500-home development in Dunsink has reignited fears over the legacy of its former landfill, with locals and politicians calling for more research into the impact of building on the dump

News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 06:00, 31 Jul 2026 View 2 Images Finglas local Ernie Beggs at Dunsink (Image: Stephen Holland)

The controversial 18,500-home Dunsink development has brought a long-buried debate back to the surface in Fingal as many question the consequences of building over what was once Ireland's largest landfill.

The Dunsink City Quarter is a major development by Fingal County Council which they state is aimed at creating “a residential-led, mixed-use community with homes, infrastructure, and amenities” on a 435-hectare greenfield site. The plan has seen significant pushback amongst the local community, particularly in Finglas where residents claim they weren’t properly consulted and by Dublin City Councillors outside the county border who feel they have been left out of important discussions.

Issues raised include the impact a large influx of new residents will have on an already stretched infrastructure , whether traffic and transport services will be able to handle it, and effect it will have on the biodiversity of its natural surroundings. One key point of concern according to locals and politicians is the former Dunsink dump site.

Fingal resident Ernie Beggs has long highlighted the need to consider the dump’s legacy and potential negative impacts on those living near it. While studying for a masters in Journalism & Media Communications in Griffith College in 2019, Ernie even undertook a study on the impact landfills have on communities with a focus on Dunsink.

Dublin Live met Ernie for a tour of the former landfill where he spoke about his research and the concerns he has about the development. “The point of concern is not 18,500 homes. It's where they're being built. They're being built right next to a municipal landfill,” he said on site.

"I think that while we're on this earth for a short time, we have to not abuse the planet. We have a responsibility for everybody not to pass on toxins. If they're going to use the land, my proposal would be that it would be used as solar farms, and you could still hold onto the wildlife here as well."

View 2 Images The site of the former Dunsink dump (Image: Stephen Holland)

When questioned about the potential negative effects of building on the former dump, a spokesperson from Fingal County Council stated that “Dunsink Landfill underwent a formal restoration and closure process, including capping, remediation and ongoing EPA- supervised aftercare.”

They state that the restoration process has “transitioned the site from an active landfill to a managed aftercare phase operating under an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) licence and ongoing EPA supervision.” “The Draft Urban Area Plan proposes a Regional Park and Recreational Hub on the former landfill lands, incorporating both passive and active recreational facilities together with the creation of new habitats,” they said.

Despite official assurances regarding the capped site, Ernie and other local campaigners question whether sufficient site-specific testing has been conducted to ease residents' minds. His dissertation cited research by Dr David O. Carpenter at the State University of New York, which pointed to potential links between landfill proximity and respiratory illnesses, a risk Ernie argues warrants a more cautious approach before any construction begins.

One local representative who has had a long association with the dump and its potential impacts is Sinn Féin TD Dessie Ellis. The Dublin North-West politician spoke to Dublin Live about his campaign to get the Dunsink dump closed years before stating “We brought them to Europe and got them to close the dump ten years over its limit”.

“You could not put people in that dump. Grass doesn't grow. It's not even sufficient for all the horses,” he said.

Another local politician who has highlighted the need for further investigation and information to be provided regarding the potential impact of building over the dump is People Before Profit Cllr Conor Reddy. Speaking with Dublin Live, he raised concerns about potential unmapped hazardous material on the site due to illegal dumping.

"There's parts there where there's just no idea whatsoever what's underneath the ground. Where I think in the past, types of medical waste were dumped up there in quite significant amounts," he said.

He warned that disturbing the ground during construction could affect local waterways. "I'd be very worried that anything that disturbs that area at all would result in leachate making its way back into streams in the River Tolka as well," he said.

Cllr Reddy also pointed to recent activity he witnessed where trucks have been dumping topsoil on parts of the old landfill, raising concern that it could interfere with soil testing.

"The worry that I have is any testing for, say, heavy metals or leachate or other contaminants that be maybe obscured a bit by the dumping of all that topsoil, that we're not getting down deep enough to see where the problems lie, and we’re sleepwalking into serious environmental or health problems," he said.

While highlighting these risks, Cllr Reddy added that he would support developing the land for public use if the site is first fully remediated and made safe, pointing to the former Balleally landfill in North County Dublin as a model. "If it were to be properly sealed, I'd have no problem seeing it become a park with pitches in it and maybe space for an equine project or something like that. But there's work to be done before that can happen," he said.

Fingal County Council further stated that “the Draft Urban Area Plan does not in itself grant permission for development”. “Any future development proposals will be subject to separate planning applications and statutory approval processes,” they said.

“At that stage, detailed site-specific environmental assessments will be required and the potential impacts on biodiversity, habitats, wildlife corridors and surrounding natural assets, including the Tolka Valley, will be fully assessed and addressed through the planning process.”

Public consultation submissions on the Urban Area Plan for the Dunsink City Quarter are still open and must be submitted by 5pm on Friday, July 31.

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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