Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 March 2021
409. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the concerns of residents living near colleges in relation to the 2021 summer months and the prospect of short-term large occupancy rentals. [13380/21]
View answerThe Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019 introduced legislative changes in relation to the regulation of the short-term letting sector through the planning code to help address its impact on the supply of private rented accommodation, particularly in urban centres of high housing demand i.e. rent pressure zones (RPZs). The planning system facilitates the regulation of such short-term letting uses undertaken by the individual carrying out the activity, i.e. the owner/occupier of the house or apartment, rather than the online platforms advertising such properties.
The provisions do not generally affect the operation of purpose built student accommodation, for which permissions are typically granted with planning conditions that generally facilitates the use of student accommodation complexes as alternative summer or holiday accommodation but which are reserved as student housing during the academic year. This is on foot of advice provided by my Department to planning authorities, by way of Circular Letter PL8/2016 issued in July 2016, regarding matters to consider in relation to the handling of planning applications for student accommodation. In this regard, the Circular makes it clear that housing for students is a specific and important segment of the overall housing sector with distinct characteristics and requirements. Accordingly, appropriate safeguards are required to ensure that student accommodation is not used as permanent residential accommodation or for other uses and is restricted to the accommodation of students during the academic year.
However, planning authorities were reminded of the need to establish a steady rental income for such student accommodation developments throughout the year in order to ensure the deliverability and viability of student accommodation development projects from a funding perspective and to recognise that such complexes can also play an important role in providing affordable accommodation for tourists and visitors in major urban areas during the peak summer demand periods.
