Thread by @RobJCurley

Excited to talk about housing policy at Ireland’s Edge later this month.

The timing of this tweet seems appropriate considering An Bord Pleanála today published their decision to Grant Permission to Hines’ build-to-rent dystopia at Holy Cross College in Drumcondra…

1/

https://twitter.com/IrelandsEdge/status/1457642523879411714

I do not believe a corporation should own an entire neighbourhood, or dictate housing policy. It is not in a community’s interest for the homes of 4,000 people to be under a single landlord. It is not in the national interest for that landlord & their profits to be overseas.

2/

Build-to-rent, like co-living is a product of the financialization of housing. Homes reinvented as investment assets for institutional funds.

The previous gov were lobbied to re-write housing policy to suit funds & dutifully reduced liveability standards for their profits.

3/

The current gov continues to support those policies by fostering the creation of substandard housing under lesser btr standards. The effect of those standards on the design of new housing is evident at every level of the scheme at Holy Cross College.

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In their decision, An Bord Pleanála recognises that the scheme contravenes the Dublin City Development Plan in relation to apartment standards & unit mixes by using the lower standards introduced by @MurphyEoghan & upheld by @DarraghOBrienTD to justify their decision.

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ABP claims the contraventions are justified as the scheme is of “strategic or national importance” to meet the gov’s targets, highlighting how housing delivery has been reduced to numbers on a spreadsheet with no regard to liveability, as it is for institutional investors.

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ABP have imposed conditions to ensure no individual can own a home on this site for the foreseeable future by saying it should operate as a btr scheme for 15 years, w plans to be agreed for continued btr operation thereafter unless subject to a separate planning application.

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The lower space & liveability standards of btr are built into these apartment buildings & units at a macro & micro level, meaning they can never meet the standards for “build to sell” apartments, all but ensuring they will never be available for private ownership.

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Over the course of the next 30 years this scheme could sap >€1billion in rent from this neighbourhood.

Those profits would be funnelled out of Ireland for the benefit of Hines, a US investment fund & APG, a Dutch pension fund.

This is economically illiterate policy.

9/

This is nonetheless current government housing policy, as is the system of Strategic Housing developments which allowed this application to bypass the traditional planning system, ignore the Dublin City Development plan & take full advantage of (lobbied-for) lower standards.

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The democratic deficiency in the failed policy of Strategic Housing Developments is clear to see & indeed the gov will overhaul this system by January.

Nonetheless, as ABP have decided to grant permission, the SHD system leaves Judicial Review as the last avenue of appeal.

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I sincerely believe this scheme is ruinous to the city of Dublin & Irish housing standards.

There will be many conversations had over the next weeks concerning how to move forward. We have had an offer of free legal advice on Judicial Review & will be exploring this route.

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#UrbanCrisis
#OwnershipCrisis
#HousingCrisis

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