Stuck to the window of what was once a popular newsagent in Phibsborough, Dublin 7, is a faded poster.Partially obscured by graffitied shutters, it features the faces of presenters Marty Whelan and Sinead Kennedy and proclaims that the “show is back”.The colours of the promotional poster for RTÉ’s Winning Streak, which likely dates back to 2015, can be seen in Google Streetview imagery waning in vibrancy over the years to their current state.At the same rate, the shutters and walls around it became increasingly vandalised with graffiti, while the red brick building above became visibly dilapidated, with large plants growing from the brickwork, window and roof.The Irish Times profiled 22a Berkeley Road, still referred to as “Selections” newsagent by locals, as part of a project last year on dereliction in Dublin.[ Reconstruction starts on Dublin City Council house previously occupied by squattersOpens in new window ]Since then, it has been removed from Dublin City Council’s Derelict Sites Register, a decision those living nearby have labelled “disgraceful”, claiming any work carried out to the property before its removal had been “minor”.“How can that happen? Nothing has been done. If anything, it’s worse,” says Sheila Ahern, a 67-year-old who has lived around the corner from the site for a decade.Ahern and several others argued there has been no noticeable improvement in the building’s condition, and that it still lies derelict and vacant.“Seeing it rot, it’s the story all over the country, but on your doorstep, passing it by every day, it kind of sticks in your gut,” she says, suggesting it could be returned to a “thriving business” with a home upstairs.The interior of 22a Berkeley Road in Phibsborough seen after Dublin City Council removed the site from its derelict sites register. Photograph: Natalia Campos Responding to queries from The Irish Times, the council said the property was removed from the register last March after the owners “repainted” the front of the building and removed graffiti and vegetation.However, it said the site remains under investigation, and it has been in contact with the owners “regarding its condition”.On Monday, a large plant was seen growing from the roof of the building, while one of the windows appeared to be boarded up.Through the shutters, the property’s basement level can be seen, as at least part of the ground floor has been removed. Graffiti littered the shutters and some walls.“As with all our active files, we will continue to follow the statutory process, which may result in re-entry onto the Derelict Sites Register,” the council said.[ Dublin City Council ‘shouldn’t have purchased’ structurally unsound houses in Phibsboro and Drumcondra, engineer saysOpens in new window ]Although the site, situated across from a planned MetroLink station near the Mater hospital, was put on the market in 2024 at a guiding price of €475,000, it is understood it remains in the ownership of brothers Brian Farren, Niall Farren and Conor Farren.Attempts were made to seek comment from Brian Farren.Ahern, a freelance television and film researcher who also grew up in the area, says locals previously campaigned for the property to be added to the register due to its condition, which the council did in 2023. They now find themselves campaigning for it to be added again.On Wednesday, those involved hung a hand-stitched banner on the building which read: “Am I still derelict?” in protest, with Ahern saying the move was “born from frustration”.Amanda Hughes, who has lived nearby for almost two decades, says the council’s removal of the site from the register is “absolutely disgraceful”, claiming it has been “left to rack and ruin”.“It’s just really depressing,” the 66-year-old acupuncturist says, adding that the area has an “abandoned feeling to it, instead of being vibrant”.“It’s a sad street. When you talk to people who’ve grown up in the area, it was absolutely vibrant, full of butchers, greengrocers and hairdressers.”