Castleknock co-living project gets the go ahead despite local opposition

A contentious co-living development in Castleknock has been given the go ahead by An Bord Pleanála.

Bartra Capital has received permission to build a 184-bedspace co-living facility on the former site of Brady’s Public House.

The plans received over 90 objections with a Government Minister, local TDs, councillors, a senator and several residents all lodging submissions against the project.

Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman; the local Sinn Féin TD, Paul Donnelly, and Fine Gael Senator Emer Currie were among the objectors to Bartra’s plans.

Many local residents also submitted objections.

One group, ‘Concerned Residents of Talbot Court, Talbot Downs and Old Navan Road’, submitted a planning observation by consultants Armstrong Planning.

They stated: “To permit a shared accommodation scheme at this location would fly in the face of the explicit guidance on locational suitability and be contrary to the Ministerial Guidance.”

The granting of permission for the planned development comes after Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien announced recently that no more co-living proposals were to be considered.

The decision to amend the 2018 Planning Guidelines to seek to restrict all future commercial co-living development in Ireland was made on the back of a report on co-living from officials in the Housing Department.

The ban will only apply to future developments as any amendments to the planning guidelines could not be applied retrospectively.

Previous planning permission for the project was overturned in the High Court.

Thornton O’Connor Town Planning, on behalf of Bartra, told An Bord Pleanála the proposed scheme would be assimilated into the area “through its high-quality design.”

Bartra Capital already has permission to build three other co-living facilities in Dún Laoghaire, Rathmines and Ballsbridge.

They now have approval to build 587 co-living units in Dublin.