Rebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for not being in the Chamber but I was in a committee and I have to go to a committee afterwards. I request a debate on an issue I wish to bring to the attention of the House, that is, the very welcome decision yesterday by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to ban co-living developments. That is really welcome. The report says that applications that have been made for co-living developments are undermining the concept because they are not within the high density areas or the high employment areas that are required. I would like some clarification on what is happening to the planning applications that are currently going through the system.From the appendix in the report, there are a number of planning applications that are currently going through to which I do not see a reference. There is one in Donaghmede and one on Cork Street, within my area of Dublin 8. Dublin City Council planners put in a submission on the Cork Street development and they were scathing of the shared space that was made available, of the fact that 19 units were above basement and that the accommodation was below the standard that was needed.

I urge that we would have a debate in this House on the ban on co-living and to look at the developments for which this may be too late. We are potentially going to develop substandard accommodation for people until the ministerial guidelines are issued. I ask that the Minister go further than he has done in the ban on co-living. He should ban purpose-built student accommodation being converted into short-term accommodation, which is co-living by the back door. In Dublin city, there have been five applications, which equate to about 1,600 units, for a temporary change of use from purpose-built student accommodation to shared accommodation. My fear is that this would not be temporary and that it would essentially be co-living by the back door. It is worthwhile to have a debate about accommodation standards in this House.