Housing shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all proposition. Yet in a decision that stands alone in Europe, Ireland banned an entire category of housing with a ministerial pen stroke. Why?

Peter Horgan, co-founder of Lucas Capital and Grayling Properties, takes us inside the world of co-living - professionally managed, community-focused accommodations that serve as landing pads for young professionals relocating to Dublin. With 70% of residents being newcomers to the city, these developments fulfil a critical need in the housing ecosystem, yet they were banned in an act of self-sabotage that is an all too common move by policy makers.

Show notes:

• Rathmines House - https://rathmineshouse.com/#building
• Liberties House - https://libertieshouse.com/
• Portaferry choosing article - https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/approved-communal-housing-plan-for-co-down-will-be-first-of-its-kind-in-ireland-MMAYV7OSEVE4RDOZQDGRILFLI4/
• Portaferry website - https://www.portaferrycohousing.org/
• An article about co-living in Germany - https://cohabitas.com/communal-living-in-germany/?utm_source
• Grayling Properties wrote an article about co-living

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Tom Phillips is a town planner and an art history buff. We sat down to discuss his somewhat unusual road to becoming a town planner, why so many planning applications get invalidated, what all the acronyms mean, why Children can lobby local councils, podiatry (yes, really!) and why Ireland had, until recently, more than 80 separate planning authorities.

Some notes from the episode:

• TPA report on LRDs: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:1e6b9094-8b42-3e71-abc1-47380d71cc93
• Article about Gavin Newson suspending laws to allow rebuilding https://www.irishtimes.com/world/us/2025/01/12/california-governor-suspends-environmental-laws-to-allow-rebuilding-in-fire-zones/
• Lichfields https://lichfields.uk
• Start With Why – Simon Sinek https://www.easons.com/start-with-why-simon-sinek-9780241958223
• The Incredulity of Saint Thomas https://www.artchive.com/artwork/the-incredulity-of-saint-thomas-michelangelo-merisi-da-caravaggio-1601-02/

Disclosure:
Though Tom is a great guy and extremely knowledgeable, I hadn't until now had the pleasure of meeting him. Neither he, nor his firm, has carried out any work for me or for any of my companies in the past.

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We speak to Brendan Slattery of McCann FitzGerald LLP about the new Planning & Development Act.

Brendan is a partner at McCann in the Environmental and Planning law division. He does an incredible job of breaking down the new law and what its likely effects are. There are a lot of surprises, and not the good kind. I throughly enjoyed the chat with him and would urge anyone who needs advice on the subject to give him a call, as his knowledge on the subject is as in-depth as I've ever come across, and his experience is very broad.

Some more details:

• Kari asked ChatGPT “Can you summarise the major changes that have been made to the Planning and Development Act 2024 in Ireland”, here’s what it came up with https://chatgpt.com/share/674ec2db-fea8-8004-aa23-3eee757036e8
• Mark Ruffalo knows about planning law https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2024/10/09/mark-ruffalo-lng-green-party-planning-bill-ireland/
• China and its ultra high voltage power lines https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241113-will-chinas-ultra-high-voltage-grid-pay-off-for-renewable-power
• Book recommendation: Running from Office: Confessions of Ambition and Failure in Politicshttps://www.easons.com/running-from-office-eoghan-murphy-9781804189023?srsltid=AfmBOorQV5NHI3fBcJc4wnS6Qp6NpEQIJ_7hNnUaD-Lmcpke8JQMtUFo

Disclosure:
While Brendan has not carried out work for me or my companies directly, we have on occasion in the past worked with his firm McCann Fitzgerald, though never the Environmental and Planning law division.

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