CRITICS, the curious, and the downright confounded have all been down to Arthur’s Quay Park for a gawk at the two cutting-edge modular housing prototypes on public display.
The diminutive prefabs are part of an initiative championed in Mayor John Moran’s ‘More for Limerick’ mayoral programme, so at least we know somebody thinks they’re a good idea.
Under the concept of ‘SMART’ housing (short-term modular affordable rental transition), these biscuit tin beauties are “intended to accelerate the delivery of affordable, high-quality rental homes for the thousands of workers and individuals who are finding difficulty accessing the private rental market”.
That probably sounded more impressive in the Council’s heads when they were penning it than it does out loud.
The fact these uninspiring shoeboxes are on the table at all would be laughable if it weren’t so discouragingly lamentable.
A sense of sheer desperation hung heavy in the air when I visited Mayor Moran’s Toytown homes recently. People in dire need of housing queued up to get in for a peep, in the hope that they might find the answer to their housing woes.
Unless they have been praying through the knees to live in a bread bin, their search will continue.
All these glorified garden chalets are missing is a hamster wheel, yet those struggling to find a home could, temporarily, find themselves residing in one. And of course, in Council speak, temporarily can be a mighty long time.
Fine Gael councillor Sarah Kiely, who has circled the wagons in Janesboro to make sure Mayor Moran’s modular plans for the local park don’t come to pass, is loading up her six shooter.
Previously accusing the Mayor of dropping the ball on his “fluffy proposals to ram unsuitable dog boxes into amenities and green spaces” across the city, the Janesboro woman now has the local tribes well riled up, so good luck to Mayor Moran with his preliminary modular housing proposals for Boro Park.
“We need to get real here, we need to be honest with people about the cost, about the locations, and about the eligibility. Nobody on the housing list will get one of these, nobody in a hotel room will be eligible, and nobody on RAS/ HAP can apply either,” the City East representative claimed.
These fun-size containers are instead aimed at “key workers”, and, according to Kiely, it’s like “one of the secrets of Fatima” to get a definition on what that is.
While she doesn’t want these compact crates on her doorstep, she does have a solution to where the Mayor can go and stick them.
“If they were put on lands in UL for students, they could work, once the true cost is known and value for money is determined,” she suggested
Mayor Moran suggested during an interview with RTÉ that Cllr Kiely might feel differently when she saw the modular units for herself. By all accounts, she took a trip down to Arthur’s Quay this week and is still not for turning.
“Upon arrival, I noticed two people staffing them. Council staff from the housing team, I’m reliably informed. This plan is part of the mayoral programme, so should be staffed by people from his team, not Council staff, who I’m sure have lots of work of their own to be doing.”
Sure if it’s not one thing it’s another.
– Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
