Dublin City Council has refused planning permission for a 72-bedroom short-term emergency accommodation homeless hub on Dublin’s Mount Street Lower.
It was opposed by a number of local residents, and in refusing planning permission for Lower Mount Street Accommodation Ltd’s application, the council said that the scheme “would not provide adequate residential amenity to future occupants and would result in a substandard form of development”.
The council said that it had serious concerns that the applicant had not adequately demonstrated compliance with Dublin City Development Plan 2022-2028 under the heading of family hubs and the 2022 Guidelines for Development of New Emergency Accommodation.
The council went on to say that, specifically, this was in relation to substandard facilities, including substandard bedroom sizes, the lack of provision of bedroom units suitable for a person with a disability, and the inadequate provision of family living space, storage space, study areas, buggy storage and kitchen facilities.
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In its refusal, the council also noted that the applicant had not indicated an end user for the proposed facility.
The council concluded that the scheme would therefore create an undesirable development for similar type development.
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The applicants were seeking permission for the change of use of an existing office building to facilitate a short-term emergency accommodation development for homeless families.
A report lodged with the scheme by McCutcheon Halley Planning Consultants said that the layout of the proposed scheme had been informed by the acute need for emergency accommodation for homeless families.
The report said that “the proposed development will offer essential emergency accommodation for families who unexpectedly lose their homes, often due to situations such as eviction or financial difficulty”.
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It said that facilities like family hubs were designed to provide a safe and temporary living environment while families collaborate with local authorities and other agencies to find more permanent housing solutions.
However, the scheme faced opposition. On behalf of the Pembroke Road Association, Susan McCarrick told the council that the application would seriously injure the residential amenities of the area and would set an undesirable precedent.
On behalf of Michael McCann and the Mount Street Residents Group, planning consultant Brendan Buck told the council that “this is a planning application which appears as a speculative proposal for a homeless hostel in a building”.
