PLANS FOR THE one of the first “co-living” buildings in Dublin that would see a block of 208 studio dwellings with dozens of people sharing one kitchen have already led to calls to rewrite design standards.

The Bartra Capital Property Group has applied to An Bord Pleanála for permission to build a five-floor building on Eblana Avenue in Dun Laoghaire. The vast majority of the studio apartments would be 16.25 square metres but the building would also have four studios that would be just over 24 square metres.

Bartra Capital has branded the concept as ‘Niche Living’ and it has plans for a similar development in Blanchardstown.

Fianna Fáil councillor Cormac Devlin told TheJournal.ie that the plans had been met with opposition in the town, and he “wouldn’t even call them bedsits they’re so small”. Green Party councillor Ciarán Cuffe described them as “Dickensian in nature”. 

So, what do you think? Should ‘co-living’ accommodation be banned?