Dún Laoghaire holiday lets breach
Deputy Boyd Barrett raises an alleged planning breach where holiday accommodation is being booked in housing built for residents. The Tánaiste says enforcement is for the local authority and that any fundamental breach of planning law should be dealt with.
As this Dáil comes to an end, I thank the staff. We might be banging our head, off a brick wall with the Government, but we are always pushing at an open door with all the staff here.
Here is scandal that is illustrative of what Deputy Bríd Smith was talking about as to whose interests get prioritised in Irish society and why we have a housing crisis. For niche living in Dún Laoghaire in a facility built by a Celtic tiger developer for what was supposed to be 200 units for people to live in, people can book holiday accommodation on booking.com, a breach of the planning permission in respect of which we have called for enforcement. It has been turned into a hotel. When we campaigned to get social and affordable housing on that site, we were ignored but a Celtic tiger developer is now charging more than €200 a night on booking.com. For that people get a fold-out bed in a room the size of a disability car parking space and shared facilities in the area. It is an absolute scandal. This is one of the people who helped crash this economy and leave us with the legacy of the housing crisis. Why has that been allowed to happen under this Government's remit? The same people who crashed this economy because of greed over property are doing it again on a site that should be providing accommodation that is affordable for ordinary working people in this country.
Comment on this
I am not aware of the specific site. However, from the beginning of this Government, we have been determined to bring about a step change in the number of social and affordable homes that would be built in the country and we have done that compared with what was done in the previous number of years. As I said earlier, 12,000 social homes were delivered last year, approximately 8,000 of which were newly built. We need to get to a situation we are building more than that-----
Comment on this
What about this?
Comment on this
We are seeing profiteering and flagrant abuse.
Comment on this
The planners in the local authority should deal with a situation like that. If the Deputy is saying there has been a fundamental breach of the planning laws, it should be dealt with. The planning laws should be enforced and that is a matter for the local authority. It should get on and do it.
Comment on this
This developer is a well-known name.