Senator Fintan Warfield has opposed the proposal for a co-living development at Hendron’s of Dominick Street.

Speaking after lodging an objection to An Bord Pleanála, Senator Warfield said:

“Having opposed co-living developments in Harold’s Cross and the Liberties in recent months, my reasons for doing so remain the same: Co-living is unsuitable accommodation in the Covid-19 era, it drives up the cost of land in the surrounding area and amounts to tenement style living whitewashed with corporate blurb about new ways of living.

“The proposed development at Hendron’s was made two weeks before the ban on co-living came into effect.

“This was allowed to happen because Minister Darragh O’Brien announced a ban on co-living on 22 November but refused to state if this would apply to current applications or to any application that might be made until the ban was put into legislation. The Statutory Instrument was not signed until December 23. That gave a full month for developers to submit new co-living applications or to amend current applications.

“This proposal has been made to ‘sweat the asset’ and take as much money as possible from renters for smaller spaces.

“It has been enabled by the Minister for Housing who took a full month to sign the regulation that gave legal effect to the ban on co-living.

“My objection urges An Bord Pleanála to reject this proposal. There must be proper affordable and social housing built in the inner city.”