Ábhair Ghnó an tSeanaid - Matters on the Business of the Seanad
Seanad Éireann — 2020-11-05
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Fintan Warfield (SF), Cultural and Educational Panel

I welcome yesterday's decision by An Bord Pleanála to reject a co-living development in Harold's Cross.
Last week, we debated the Residential Tenancies Bill here and I raised the issue of co-living in the context of Covid-19. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, did not seem too impressed that I used the debate to raise the issue of co-living. I ask for a debate in this House specifically on co-living and let those who support the model come in, and stand over it.
Even a reporter for the Financial Times described a co-living development in London as a "hobbit home" and when detailing the layout of the room she said, "Imagine a dolled-up Holiday Inn." I think the model is based on greed. It has no regard for the tenants and local community who have come out against the co-living development in Harold's Cross and Fumbally Lane in the Liberties, Dublin 8. It is even less impressive in the context of Covid-19.
In its decision, An Bord Pleanála indicated that developers had not even bothered to stick to the guidelines of where co-living developments should be located. When the people proposing these developments do not even stick to the Government's guidelines that very much exposes the opportunistic nature of co-living developments.
The developers in Harold's Cross originally applied for a smaller number of larger sized apartments. I think they saw an opportunity with the new regulations and chanced their arm. That sums up the motivation for co-living, which is about sweating the asset. We await a decision by An Bord Pleanála about the development at Fumbally Lane in the Liberties and, therefore, we need a debate. As I said, the Minister was unwilling to discuss the issue when we debated the Residential Tenancies Bill and I ask the Leader to schedule a debate.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2020-11-05/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:48:44+00:00
Sitting date: 2020-11-05