DURING a frank discussion with councillors, Mayor John Moran explained that Limerick needs to deliver significantly more than the prior Government target of 2,599 homes annually, as he now targets a delivery of 4,000 homes.
At a special meeting on SMART (modular) housing, Mayor Moran outlined how broader economic and population ambitions could require housing delivery levels approaching almost five times current annual output for Limerick to fully meet demand.
Ahead of the meeting, the Mayor, together with Limerick Chamber, hosted senior national housing leadership for discussions on the scale of the housing delivery challenge. The Mayor pointed to an urgent need for new approaches to deliver and fund the infrastructure, housing activation, and urban development Limerick needs to achieve its potential.
Mayor Moran said these discussions were notable for their honesty and shared recognition of the scale of the task ahead. However, the challenge facing Limerick, he maintains, is not simply about numbers, but the type of city and communities Limerick wants to build over the coming decades.
“We all need to come together on a vision for the Limerick we want to see and I believe that means we also need to think very differently about the types of housing we are building,” he said.
“Family homes with gardens will always remain an important part of Limerick’s future. But if we are serious about building a Limerick of growth, sustainability, where we can attract and retain not lose our young talent, we also need to think much more ambitiously about modern apartment living and urban lifestyles.”
Mayor Moran said Limerick’s historic infrastructure and housing delivery deficits and development patterns mean sustained partnership with national Government will be essential to unlocking delivery at the scale required.
“Limerick is being asked to grow, to support more jobs, attract more investment, and accommodate a larger population. Housing delivery and enabling infrastructure and Government funding must now keep pace with that ambition,” he said.
He suggest his own unique role as directly-elected Mayor may also “can be used to safely unlock the necessary funding and borrowing capacity for Limerick to drive delivery of the housing it needs”.
Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan agreed that new solutions were needed but warned over comparisons between Limerick and Vienna with its housing model.
“The thing about Austria is it has a corporate tax rate that is double Ireland’s. They also have employers paying housing subsidy tax as well. Where are we getting the money for this?” she asked.
Mayor Moran suggested either the Government will have to agree to borrow the money to allow Limerick Council construct modular homes – which could be paid back through rent – or the Government acknowledge that Limerick can be different and set up its own municipal housing agency, which will borrow money on the open market.
Sinn Féin councillor Sharon Benson said she is very supportive of modular housing and was all for the local authority trying new things, suggesting “the scale of the crisis or the emergency is just gone off the walls”.
Chief Economist and Director of Policy at Limerick Chamber, Seán Golden warned that Limerick is “very swiftly advancing towards an armageddon” in terms of housing.
“Housing output decreased by 13 per cent in 2025 from the previous year. Already this year, we’re down 20 per cent from the previous year, and both commencements and planning permissions have absolutely collapsed by about 40 per cent,” Mr Golden told Council members.
Fine Gael councillor Stephen Keary said that during the 1960s, Ireland was building housing schemes for essential workers. He suggested that companies like Regeneron and Eli Lilly in Raheen be approached about “chipping in”.
Cllr Sarah Kiely (FG) hit out that the mayor’s presentation was not before the full Council but a special meeting of the Home and Social Development Strategic Policy Committee (SPC).
“We’ve been waiting a long time for this information, so it’s very welcome to now get some semblance of clarity around it,” she said, but asked “when are the other councillors going to get this presentation, because we’re blue in the face from asking for it”.
“We first heard about SMART housing in an SPC, and we’re now back at an SPC, and the people who put their name on the ballot paper are again the last to know.”
Cllr Keary pointed out that the presentation would be given to the full Council in the near future.
– Local Democracy Reporting Scheme