Dublin City Council's decision to drop a plan to demolish high-rise council flats at St Michael's estate in Inchicore has been criticised by a social and economic think-thank. Built in the 1970s, the estate comprises 346 local authority homes and is characterised by high levels of unemployment and social deprivation. Under a plan adopted by the city council in January 2000, it was to have been demolished and the residents rehoused in new, low-level homes on the 11-acre site. The cost of the plan was almost €85 million.

