Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 June 2020
1247. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will now reconsider all co-living developments including a site (details supplied) following the Covid-19 pandemic. [9468/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder Section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), I am precluded, in my capacity as Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, from involvement in any particular planning case and therefore I am not in a position to comment on the proposed development referred to.
In 2018, I published updated Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments Guidelines for Planning Authorities, as Ministerial Guidance under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), following an extensive public consultation process.
The updated guidelines set out policy in relation to a range of apartment formats needed to meet the accommodation needs of different household types and sizes. This includes the potential for a ‘Shared Accommodation’ or ‘Co-Living’ format. This format comprises professionally managed rental accommodation, where living accommodation, that may comprise individual rooms, is rented within an overall development, that must also include access to shared or communal facilities and amenities, but not shared bathroom or toilet facilities.
To end Q1 2020, 294 co-living bedspaces have been approved by An Bord Pleanála under the strategic housing development application process, for development since the guidelines came in to force in 2018. In comparison, there were more than 60,000 homes permitted, none of which were co-living bedspaces, since the guidelines were published to the end of 2019 alone.
Shared accommodation is one of a number of residential settings that include hotels, hostels, residential institutions and student accommodation, where residential occupation comprises more than one household. Although such accommodation formats are not as prevalent as individual houses or apartments, they nonetheless play an important role in catering for the diverse needs of the overall population. My Department will continue to monitor all relevant existing policy measures and activities, having regard to the most up to date Government public health advice and guidance, as the response to the COVID-19 pandemic evolves.
