Developments in D8 – Homes Where Art Thou?

Developments in D8 – Homes Where Art Thou?  Ross Murray examines the planning permissions for Dublin 8 period for the last 2 years and reveals the absence of residential builds in favour of Student Accommodation and Hotels

Development projects in Dublin 8 over the next period will realise the following:
Student Accommodation – 3226 beds; Hotel beds – 769;  Residential Accommodation?

It seems that student/temporary accommodations are being built everywhere at the moment. At the Fountain Resource Group we have been trawling the monolithic Dublin City Planning website to find out what is going on in our area. It has not been easy. Some of these planning applications date back 10 years to 2008, others are much newer. One early large student accommodation has been completed in Watling Street/Digital Hub. A large number have started construction and a few have been granted permission but not started construction yet.

We have read of a number of objections by residents to the overwhelming volume of rooms but see little or no response by planners. Residential groups are beginning to spring like mushrooms around the area, from Cork Street to Basin Lane in protest to some of the more audacious proposed student or hotel developments but despite this boom in interest, in many cases, developers proceed uninterrupted.

As the housing crisis increases, why are we building all this student accommodation? It might have to do with not needing to provide the car spaces, amenities and social housing required for residential developments. The student units are certainly not cheap to live in. The Mill Street student complex advertises its cheapest room at €255 per week for a 51 week rental, more than €13,000 a year.

The 3226 student units can be found in nine developments.

Already built:

*DigiHub/ Watling Street 675 beds (Plan Ref: 4733/08).

Partially completed:

*Mill Street (3475/14) & Blackpitts (2182/16) for a combined 700+ beds.

Construction Ongoing:

*Carman’s Hall/Garden Lane (2827/17) 232 beds;
*Donnelly Centre (4511/08×1) 365 beds;
*Brickfield/Brown St (3316/16) 308 beds;
*Frawley’s Thomas St (2453/15) 296 beds;
*Aungier Street/Up Stephens St (3917/15) 298 beds and where they are applying for an additional story.

Permission Pending:

*Brewery Block/Ardee Street-Newmarket Sq., (2812/17) 349 beds.

The building of hotels has not been quite as aggressive but still substantial.

*Part of the Mill Street Complex is an Aloft Hotel with 202 beds.
*Maldron (2246/15) have almost completed 139 bed unit on the old Mira Glass site on Kevin St.,
*Hodson Bay (….)are building a 263 bed hotel on the Coombe
*Upper Camden St (3316/13) hoarding had gone up for 165 bed hotel next to the offices of Concern with a number of listed buildings included
*Newmarket Square IDA site (3323/17) permission granted for hotel along with residential units, hotel only gives size by sq meters (7,797sqm) not beds

We are looking at over 4,000 beds for short term residences in just a small section of the Dublin 8 area.

Except for the IDA site on Newmarket Sq with 92 bedrooms in 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments and one other on the SCR and Dolphin’s Barn corner (3618/15) with 25 bedrooms in 1,2 and 3 bed apartments, the major residential builds are in the renovation and renewal of St. Teresa’s Garden and Dolphin Barn Estate.

Where is the residential housing for Dublin 8?  What are the DCC or the Minister for Housing proposing to do to lower rents and mortgages? Are we being kept in an artificial bubble to protect housing prices at the detriment to people who are trying to live in our city?

I will be pursuing answers to these questions in a forthcoming article.  Stay tuned.