Alan Kelly denies he is bringing back ‘shoebox’ bedsit flats

Environment Minister Alan Kelly has denied that planning standards announced yesterday will see the return of the “shoebox” bedsit apartments.

Mr Kelly and junior minister Paudie Coffey published new guidelines in a bid to reduce the cost of buying apartments, but were severely criticised for reducing the minimum standards with no guarantee of lowering costs.

Under the new guidelines, studios would be 45sq m (484sq ft), as against the current minimum size of 55sq m (592sq ft), but could be built only in certain circumstances. They would be permitted in schemes of more than 100 apartments that have communal facilities such as common rooms and gyms and could make up just 7.5% of the overall complex.