A PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT of over 200 co-living units has been refused by An Bord Pleanála. 

The application by Bartra Property, which would have seen 222 co-living units and 150 apartments built at the Cookstown Industrial Estate in Tallaght, was refused permission by An Bord Pleanála. 

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoghan Murphy has been a supporter of co-living spaces as providing “another choice for people”. 

In May, he said co-living was designed for young, working professionals who are willing to make “certain sacrifices around space so they can live closer to work, at a more affordable rent”. 

The Bartra development would have been one of the first “co-living” buildings that became permissible under design standard guidelines for new apartments that were introduced in March 2018.

RTÉ reported that in refusing the application An Bord Pleanála said that the co-living spaces would “fail to provide an acceptable living environment” and pointed to a “notable shortfall in the provision of sufficient communal facilities”. 

A spokesperson for the Department of Housing said that the department did not comment on individual cases, but noted that the “department is satisfied that the co-living guidelines are robust and will continue to monitor the sector”.

The idea of co-living was heavily criticised following Murphy’s supportive comments last month. Labour leader Brendan Howlin called Murphy “an apologist for those who wish to push down the quality of housing” and called the proposals “ludicrous”. 

The Bartra Property group has also applied to An Bord Pleanála for permission to build a five-floor building on Eblana Avenue in Dun Laoghaire.

If approved the plans would see the demolition of all existing buildings on the 2,629 square metre site and the construction of a 6,501 square metre building with 208 “single occupancy bedspaces”.