COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SDZ, LAPS AND PLANNING PROJECTS

Thursday, January 23, 2020

MOTION NO.44

MOTION: Councillor M. Duff

That this Council, recognising that many professionals, such as Teachers, are finding it extremely difficult to find rental accommodation in the Tallaght area and the Town Centre in particular, call on the CE to make provision in the Draft Tallaght Town Centre Local Area Plan, where Developers are proposing to build Student Accommodation, that at least 15% of the development is made available for rental to Teaching Staff.

REPORT:

The Planning Authority cannot stipulate that accommodation in residential developments be reserved for a specific profession, however the Council is progressing an Affordable Housing Scheme which is open to people (e.g. young professionals) who are having difficulty in purchasing a property and may feel priced out of the market. It is an objective of the LAP to deliver an affordable housing development in the Town Centre area.

Student accommodation is defined in national guidelines and standards are set out for the types of accommodation and facilities that should be provided to serves a cohort who have specific accommodation requirements, e.g. short-term, communal living. Student accommodation developments are usually associated with specific institutions and typically serve as holiday rentals in the summer.

The Planning Authority does not consider it appropriate that a specific type of short-term accommodation would be supported by planning policy to serve the needs of those who typically require more medium to long-term housing solutions; this would set an undesirable precedent for the types of development that would be considered appropriate in the area.

RECOMMENDATION:

It is recommended that this motion is not adopted.