Sinn Féin aims to ban co-living with new bill

A co-living proposal by Bartra at a site in Dun Laoghaire. Such developments would be banned if Sinn Féin's bill is passed. File Picture.

Controversial co-living accommodation could be banned under a new proposal tabled by Sinn Féin.

The party's housing spokesman, Eoin Ó Broin, will use the party's private members time on Tuesday to table the bill to remove the law which allows ministers to alter planning laws without a vote from the Oireachtas, and removes from building standards the co-living and built-to-rent guidelines.

Co-living developments see bedrooms, often the size of a disabled parking space, built for single people with shared kitchen and living spaces. 

The Ministerial Power (Repeal) (Ban Co-Living and Build to Rent) Bill 2020 amends the Planning and Development Act 2000 and repeals the Build to Rent and Shared Accommodation sections of Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments.

Sinn Fein spokesperson on Housing Eoin O Broin TD. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

"All apartments should be built to one standard," Mr Ó Broin said.

"No one deserves to live in a gentrified co-working space, 12 square metres of personal living space.

The idea that if someone is a renter they should live in a smaller apartment or have less car parking, sunlight or storage, makes no sense

"If we want people to rent long term, we need to make sure people have the same standard as people who buy apartments.

"Both Fianna Fáil and the Green Party were against these planning rules; it will be interesting to see how they vote tomorrow."

Current Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien labelled co-living "bonkers" when he was in opposition but has yet to ban the practice. Instead, he announced a review to ensure any ban "would not affect student accommodation".

Tomorrow, Sinn Féin will move a Bill which seeks to do 3⃣ things:

🚫 Ban co-living
🗳️ Scrap the power for Ministers to make huge changes to planning law without an Oireachtas vote
🚫 Ban substandard design of build-to-rent properties for rentershttps://t.co/9JK2d6q62g @EOBroin pic.twitter.com/9i3jEpItu5

— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) October 19, 2020

"Once the minister announced a review, we saw an increase in the number of planning applications that have been submitted to local authorities, and now they're trying to get them all in before," Mr Ó Broin said.

Some are frightening, 40 people sharing a kitchen and keep in mind, co-living applications also contain co-working spaces, not in keeping with public health guidelines

The design standards in place from 2015 provide for studio apartments, and Sinn Féin says this would not put single people at a disadvantage if co-living was banned.