Joint Statement from Dublin South Central TDs Aengus O’Snodaigh, Bríd Smith, Joan Collins, Patrick Costello
Cross Party Motion to Dáil Business Committee Calls on Housing Minister to Suspend 2018 Planning Guidelines
The public health crisis and the highly contagious nature of COVID-19 has posed serious questions about the health risks posed to those living in housing of multiple occupancy.
In particular, in proposed co living schemes it is impossible to guarantee safety from an unseen deadly virus in communal areas such as living rooms and kitchens and where ventilation and wastewater systems are shared. It is not reasonable to expect people to live in accommodation where it might be impossible to self-isolate. Serious consideration must be given to whether schemes such as these should be permissible until all of the implications of the public health pandemic and this type of housing have been understood.
Questions about and criticisms of co living have been raised by planning and architectural professionals both in Ireland and in the UK. The Minister must pay heed and act now to prevent further development of a housing model that could have disastrous consequences for public health.
A cross party motion to the Dáil Business Committee on Tuesday 2nd June will call on Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy to immediately suspend the 2018 Planning Guidelines until such time as the full implications of co living housing on pandemics and public health are understood.
Notes for editors:
Today the following will be put to the Business Committee of Dail Eireann:
That Dáil Eireann notes –
the current challenges to public health posed by the Covid19 pandemic and the implications this has for communal living and therefore calls on the Minister for Housing to suspend the Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments 2018with regards to Shared Accommodation so that all such developments are prohibited.