DCC agrees to restrict construction of Build-to-Rent developments

Dublin City Councillors have agreed to set in place a provision which will restrict the construction of build-to-rent housing in the city.

At a meeting last week to finalise the upcoming 2022-2028 city development plan, councillors voted to pass a motion to limit the number of new build-to-rent units.

Under the provision, build-to-rent schemes of fewer than 100 homes would be banned and in all other developments rental-only units would be limited to 40 percent of the overall stock.

However, the move is in direct conflict with the orders of the planning regulator Anne Marie O’Connor, who previously told the council there is no national policy to control the number of built-to-rent units.

In February, the regulator told the council that there was no national policy which allowed the restriction and directed the local authority to remove the strategy from the development plan.

Chief executive of the council Owen Keegan told councillors in May that he recommended that the policy be pursued regardless due to the “over-dominance” of build-to-rent developments in the city.

Independent councillor Nial Ring tabled a motion which proposed that at least 60 percent of all new builds must meet higher quality build-to-sell standards.

Although Keegan recommended that the number be reduced to 40 percent, councillors voted to approve Ring’s motion.

“The level of build-to-rent in our city is bad for our city and it is using up spare land” said Labour Councillor Dermot Lacey.

Councillor Ring said that build-to-rent housing “is substandard, inferior and is going back to tenement buildings almost”.

He also said that Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien has indicated that he may move to abolish build-to-rent schemes completely.

“Given the Minister for Housing’s recent statement that ‘there is no longer a planning rationale to retain BTR as a separate development type subject to more flexible design standards’, it could be argued that these entire Build to Rent references in the Development Plan be deleted,” he said.

Dublin City Council chief planner John O’Hara said the council was aware of the Minister’ comments but has yet received any communication from the Department.

The council must now inform the regulator that it does not intend to comply with its orders who can in turn advise the Minister to direct the council to remove the policy from the development plan.

The 2022-2028 Dublin City Development Plan has taken roughly two years to draft is currently in the final stages.

The council says it should be implemented before the end of the year.