Government's expected apartment plans a 'serious overreach', says councillor
Minister for Housing James Browne is expected to bring proposals to the Cabinet to change requirements around minimum apartment sizes, the mix of apartments in developments and communal spaces.
It is understood the proposed new guidelines specify that communal, community or cultural facilities within apartment schemes will not be required on a mandatory threshold basis due to the implications such requirements may have on the viability of projects.
Yesterday, Dublin City Council supported an emergency motion, which was tabled by the Green Party and Labour Party, that said the proposals would "gut the provision of 5% community or cultural space in SDRAs (Strategic Development Regeneration Areas) and developments of 10,000sq/m or more".
This, it described, as "a hard-won provision in the 2022-2028 Dublin City Development Plan".
It expressed the council's "deep dismay" at the proposals as detailed in "media reports" over the weekend.
The motion was tabled by Green Party Councillor Claire Byrne and Labour Councillor Darragh Moriarty, but received cross party support.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Cllr Byrne said the proposals that could preclude local authorities from making community facilities within certain apartment schemes a mandatory requirement are a serious overreach, and "an attack on local government policy and city development plans".
She pointed out that communal spaces represent just a 5% provision in large scale developments.
She added that for the Minister for Housing to suggest that this could be contributing to the housing crisis is "really just galling".
It is understood the minister will tell Government colleagues the proposed changes will cut building costs by between €50,000 and €100,000 per apartment.
In May, Mr Browne acknowledged it would be "challenging" to reach the Government's housing output target of 41,000 homes this year.
Ms Byrne agreed that radical thinking is needed to solve the housing crisis, but decades of under investment is having an impact on the situation.
"The real issues are decades of under investment, the stopping of the building estate homes, letting developers dictate the market, continuous bad planning decisions in the city that have prioritised offices and hotels over homes where housing could and should be built."
She added the inclusion of the scheme the city development plan was a really progressive win and said the council would welcome a meeting with the minister where he could fully explain what he is trying to achieve.
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