Mixed reaction to Government housing proposals

Shared accommodation, family apartments in city centres, and more one-bed dwellings are among a raft of measures announced by the Government to increase urban living.

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy is aiming to provide many accommodation options to people who want to live in city areas.

However, there has been a mixed reaction to the proposals, with Labour Housing spokeswoman Jan O’Sullivan expressing concern about the plans for shared living which she said could lead to lower standards of accommodation.

“The reality is that sharing living and kitchen spaces with total strangers would likely only suit a small number of people.

“The London example cited by the Minister, on which it seems this plan is based, is also not cheap, with the average en-suite room costing around €280 per week, or just over €1,000 a month. The majority of those in the target age-group are likely to be in entry-level jobs on relatively low pay, and would struggle to afford such prices,” she added.

Mr Murphy has now set up a small working group to finalise the proposals by the end of November.

“The important thing is that we have a range of different combination types to suit the needs and the affordability types of different people at different times in their lives, whether it’s a young person coming into the workforce, maybe it’s somebody older in life who wants to come to live in the city for a couple of years to experience that type of life, the key thing here is to have that kind of choice that currently isn’t there at the moment for developers, planners, and designers.”

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy

Among the plans is the roll-out of communal housing blocks for young professionals, which could have shared living and cooking areas. The requirement for car park spaces in developments close to public transport as well as removing height caps will also be introduced.

The minister also plans to increase the number of studio apartments as well as family apartments.

While specialist housing for older people, downsizers and the less able-bodied — enabling people to remain in their own communities, will also be promoted.

Mr Murphy also wants to expand the build-to-rent sector and is seeking to have at least 5,000 homes provided over the next two years under this model.

Mr Murphy said: “If you go to cities in the UK like Manchester or London, and further afield, you will find new models of brilliantly designed, superbly executed, centrally located and affordable managed rental accommodation. We have to free ourselves from the mind-set that everyone should live in a three-bedroomed house at every stage of their lives.

“We know other models work, but we don’t have them here. So, our job as policy makers and planners is to see how this can be done and to then make it happen.”