FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL has refused planning retention to private bus operator Eirebus for modular accommodation units for employees at its transport depot in west Dublin.

The council has refused a three-year planning retention to Eirebus Ltd for 19 modular accommodation and six mobile home units at Corduff Road in Dublin 15, after finding that the units’ layout and arrangement “represent a serious form of substandard residential living”.

Private companies are increasingly resorting to sourcing accommodation to house their staff in response to Ireland’s housing crisis.

Companies including Ryanair have either been buying newly built homes or have been trying to build accommodation.

However, the local authority concluded that Eirebus’s plan for modular and mobile home units serving as worker accommodation, by virtue of their design and appearance, “represent a form of ad-hoc, haphazard development of a poor-quality aesthetic which adversely impacts the visual amenity of the receiving environment”.

The council also stated that the proposal will set an inappropriate precedent for other similar forms of development.

Eirebus now has the option of appealing the refusal to An Coimisiún Pleanála.

The company’s retention application also included a communal kitchen, three water closet (WC) units and two shower/toilet units.

Council planners refused planning retention after concluding that the nature of the worker residential accommodation sought for retention, due to its incompatibility with the zoning and existing surrounding land uses “results in the unsustainable and uneconomical use of the subject site”.

A planning report lodged with the application by CWPA Planning and Architecture explained that the purpose of the retention application was to support the provision of essential staff welfare and accommodation facilities for operational personnel.

The report confirmed that the company employs 92 workers, with 68 of the workforce non-Irish nationals.

Of the entire staff, 43 employees require accommodation.

‘Challenges’ in housing market

It stated that the application “represents a pragmatic response to operational, regulatory and housing market challenges while delivering wider economic, social and transport benefits to the community”.

The report stated that permission is sought for a period of three years only, “reflecting the operational and accommodation challenges currently facing the transport sector and allowing Eirebus sufficient time to address longer-term workforce accommodation requirements”.

The CWPA report stated that existing housing in the area was considered by the applicant but “it is not feasible for our client to potentially purchase or rent a house in the local area due to a lack of availability close to the site”.

The report explained that the proposed accommodation arises from a clear operational requirement associated with the continued functioning of the Eirebus depot.

It states that the workforce “includes a significant proportion of non-national employees who have been recruited to address persistent labour shortages within the transport sector and who often face considerable challenges in securing suitable accommodation within commuting distance of the depot”.

The report states that these challenges are exacerbated by the operational characteristics of the business.

Drivers, according to the report, are required to commence duties as early as 4am and may not finish until 2am the following morning.

The planning application faced one objection from Richard Doyle of Clancy Quay, Islandbridge, Dublin 15.

Doyle told the council that the toilet and shower facilities being separate to the modular housing units risked the sight of “scantily dressed people” traversing between the two, while potentially offering “no privacy” to the people staying in the accommodation.

Doyle also asked: “Would it not be a more reasonable, rational and sustainable solution for one of the largest bus companies in the State to use one of their mini buses to provide a private shuttle service for their local workers as needed?”.

Additional reporting by Eoghan Dalton