A Dublin apartment block has been criticised for not allowing social housing tenants into communal areas. 

In line with planning laws, 10% of all stock in the Drimnagh apartment block were sold onto Dublin City Council for social housing. 

Private tenants in the complex pay a monthly fee within their rent for use of the communal areas and access is automatic as soon as they move in. 

However, for social tenants it is an entirely different story. 

“They’ve no access to the car parking, no access to the bicycle lockup and this has made life very difficult for many of them,” Sinn Féin Councillor Daithí Doolan told Newstalk Breakfast.  

“Many of them have kids with learning difficulties.” 

Cllr Doolan has inspected the apartment block and said he was “shocked” to see how many car parking spaces were empty while social tenants park on the street. 

He said it means added congestion on the nearby road and travel “chaos” for other local residents. 

“Dublin Bus can’t even get down the road because of the on-street car parking,” he said. 

“A few weeks ago, Dublin Bus were forced to issue a notice that they were going to have to divert the bus service away from that part of Drimnagh.” 

'Sort this problem out'

Cllr Doolan said the lack of “proper storage” facilities for social tenants is an example of why reform to the planning system is needed. 

“The management and the residents need to meet and sort this problem out,” he said. 

“What this has done is shone a light on the planning process in this city where residents are being put into build to rent apartments whereby the planning standards are not as high as they would be in standard council properties. 

“They’re not as high as they would be for private developments.” 

Cllr Doolan declined to say who should pay the fee for use of the communal spaces, stating it should be “all about negotiation”. 

He also noted social tenants are not there “on a temporary basis” and need to be treated with more respect. 

“They’re there long-term,” he said. 

“And [they] deserve the best standard of housing that we can provide in 21st century Dublin”. 

The owner of the apartment block has been contacted for comment.

Main image: An underground car park.