Newstalk Breakfast host Ciara Kelly has suggested Irish people "can't bear the thought of not being entitled to the four-bed semi-D" and that people living in houses that are too big are part of the reason we find ourselves in a housing crisis.
Her comments came prior to a discussion with Tom Philips, a chartered town planner and professor in UCD, who revealed that Irish people are less likely to consider new types of housing in comparison to other European nations, according to an expert.
Professor Philips spoke to Ciara Kelly on Newstalk on Tuesday morning about Irish society’s attitude towards housing. Tom agreed with Ciara’s suggestion that Irish people are partially responsible for the current housing crisis due to an inability to accept alternative forms of housing, such as co-living and apartment dwelling.
Read More: Irish people now almost 40 years old before they can buy their first home
“There has been a complete overreaction to co-living, a slightly older version of student accommodation. I’ve seen it in the UK and it works perfectly,” Tom told listeners of the programme.
He also revealed that the level of apartment living in Ireland is the lowest in Europe.
A report published by the Housing Agency in 2019 suggested that over two thirds of current apartment occupants would prefer to live in a two storey home.
The discussion also referred to people living in homes that are unsuitable for their lifestyle, with some families in extremely overcrowded conditions while single people are reportedly living alone in three or four bedroom homes that they are unable to maintain.
Tom highlighted the issue of housing for older people as a particular concern in the current market.
“We don’t cater for the elderly as we don’t have bespoke houses for older people to move to. They have houses in the U.K. that people over a certain age can trade down to. We simply don’t have that opportunity for people who are widowed or whose children have moved out,” Tom said.
Presenter Ciara revealed that several older listeners had texted in to say that they were more comfortable within their own homes than they would be elsewhere and questioned whether purposeful facilities for older people were the answer.
Tom also said that there was a “complete overreaction” to the concept of co-living in Ireland that was preventing people from moving in to long term accommodation. He was critical of the amount of complaints registered against developments.
“The ‘not in my backyard’ syndrome is very high in Ireland. We have a very facilitatory planning appeal system. If you look at a planning system, it not only tells people how to complain but encourages people to object to a development,” he added.
Speaking earlier on the issue, Ciara said: "An average house in Donegal is twice the size of the average house in Europe. We're not building mixed developments. So, if you live in South County Dublin, there's a glut of three, four and five-bedroom semi-ds but if you want to trade down from one of those as an older person, nigh on impossible."
The outspoken presenter said there is an Irish mentality that "I will be taken out of this house in a box" and that peoples' houses are their homes for life. She said Ireland was getting it wrong in terms of mix where people can't downsize and new people struggle to get starter homes in these areas.
"I think it is because housing is a very emotive issue here and I think it dates back hundreds of years. We feel our home is our castle; it's the one place we should feel unassailable. We can't bear the thought of trading down when we're older and we can't bear the thought of not being entitled to the four-bed semi-d or indeed the large bungalow on an acre plot somewhere.
"We don't have the same attitude or culture towards housing here as other places."
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