Permission granted for Castleknock development
Dublin People 10 Jan 2020
A DECISION by An Bord Pleanála to grant permission for a co-living development in Castleknock has been criticised.
Bartra Capital plans to build a 210-bed, co-living complex on the site of Brady’s pub on the Old Navan Road. The development will comprise 180 rooms over five storeys and will have communal living areas, TV rooms, a gym, library, launderette and a roof terrace.
In reaching its decision, An Bord Pleanála chose not to go with a recommendation from its own inspector that permission be refused.
Local Labour TD Joan Burton was heavily critical of the decision to grant planning permission for the co-living development.
She said: "This disastrous decision is the direct consequence of the new planning guidelines by Minister Eoghan Murphy.
“These new rules are steadily dismantling high quality, community orientated planning in favour of substandard housing motivated purely by profit.”
She accused the Government of being on a “go-slow” in providing decent, affordable housing for families and single people.
“For profit development of this kind will never solve the housing crisis,” Deputy Bruton stated. “We need to build real homes within sustainable communities – it’s a shame the Government and Fine Gael have no interest in this.”
Local Castleknock councillor John Walsh (Lab), who also objected to the development, said: "It beggars belief that An Bord Pleanála ignored the report of its own inspector in choosing to give permission to this development.
The Government has sidelined responsible planning and has created a developer’s charter. Shared living developments of this kind will never create sustainable communities and are entirely inappropriate in a suburban location.”
The Green Party’s Dublin West candidate, Cllr Roderic O’Gorman, accused Fine Gael of pushing a co-living model of accommodation that is wrong for Ireland.