He said co-living was not intended to replace traditional housing and apartments.
Proposals for co-living accommodation, which would see tenants living in studio-style rooms with communal kitchen and living areas, have been “welcomed by many” according to Minister for Housing, Eoghan Murphy.
Murphy was speaking at the Oireachtas Committee on Housing on Wednesday, where he gave a quarterly update on the government’s action plan on housing and homelessness.
One of the topics he was quizzed on by members of the committee was the controversial plans for co-living developments, which Murphy described last week as an “exciting opportunity” for young workers in Ireland.
Threshold, a charity with the aim of securing a right to housing, described the developments as “21st-century bedsits with a glossy makeover”.
People Before Profit TD Mick Barry told the committee that Threshold said, under the regulations, there is potential for 42 people to share kitchen facilities and to sleep in a cubicle that would be smaller than the size of a disabled car parking space.
Murphy defended co-living, saying that it was not intended to replace traditional housing and apartments.
“Not everyone coming to Ireland will want to move into a four-bed flat with people they don’t know, and at the same time they won’t want to live isolation in a single studio apartment,” Murphy told the committee.
He added that the plans had been “welcomed by many sectors, from architects to others”.
Murphy also said that less than 1% of new builds in the next six months will be for co-living.
Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane also had a heated exchange with Murphy, during which Murphy asked him not to bring the “disrespect that you show in the Dáil Chamber to this committee”.
Cullinane responded by saying that he was simply asking Murphy to clarify something and that it was not disrespectful.
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