Donegal County Council has been urged to renew the push for modular homes in Letterkenny and across Donegal.
Independent councillor Michael McBride said it’s time that the Housing Minister offered a ‘bail out’ to Donegal during the dual crises of defective blocks and rocketing rents.
“This is high time the government stood up and backed us to put modular homes in place so people will have the comfort of knowing they will have somewhere to live while their home is being demolished and rebuilt, or for the people that simply can’t afford to rent,” Cllr McBride told Tuesday’s meeting of the Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District.
Cllr McBride has been proposing the purchase of modular cabins as a temporary solution for mica families for a number of years.
More recently, he said his phone has been ringing with an alarming number of people served with eviction notices.
“People’s backs are to the wall,” Cllr McBride said.
“With the best will in the world, we do not have the resources here in Donegal County Council to deal with the problems in front of us.”
Donegal County Council is currently progressing on social housing developments to deliver 354 homes in the Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District.
Cllr McBride said it must be acknowledged that it will be at least two years before many of the units are on-stream.
Sinn Féin Cllr Gerry McMonagle, who seconded the motion, said that Donegal faces an even bigger homeless crisis due to the rising costs of rent.
He added that the modular home “is the way to go” and that they must be constructed this summer in preparation for the winter.
A response from the council said they have requested a further meeting with the Department of Housing to continue discussions on a range of matters related to defective blocks. This issue of modular housing can be raised again at this upcoming meeting.
