Mayo councillors to explore modular housing as solution to deepening crisis
Elected members back motion for factory site visits as housing demand reaches unprecedented levels
Mayo County Council is to explore modular housing as a potential fast-track solution to the county's worsening housing crisis, following a motion proposed at Monday's sitting of the council's housing strategic policy committee meeting.
Independent cllr Harry Barrett, who proposed the motion, called on Mayo county council to take a more direct role in addressing the crisis, arguing that market-led solutions alone would leave a large cohort of working people unable to afford homes in the county.
"Bought solutions will leave us in a situation where a large cohort of the working poor will not be able to afford housing," Cllr Barrett said, adding that he wanted to see Mayo county council itself getting involved in schemes and exploring pilot initiatives.
Cllr Barrett pointed to modular construction companies already operating in the country, including one based in Galway producing what he described as "fantastic projects," and called for elected members to visit a modular factory to see the process first-hand.
With notices to quit set to increase significantly, he warned that the council was "facing a serious dilemma" and that speed of delivery was now critical.
The motion was formally proposed by cllr Barrett and received strong backing from fellow committee members. SPC Chair and Fine Gael cllr Peter Flynn wholeheartedly endorsed the proposal, noting that there is already a modular housing company operating within Mayo, with another in Galway, and suggesting the council identify a third for comparison purposes.
Cllr Flynn painted a stark picture of the scale of demand currently facing council offices across the county. "The volume coming into each of the municipal district offices over the last two months is off the charts," he said.
"We have never seen this level of people and these are not people with addiction issues. They have received notice to quit and have nowhere to go."
He emphasised that modular construction offered not only a cost-effective solution but a crucial time advantage. "I cannot believe we cannot source modular homes at a fraction of the cost.
The time factor is a key part of it, we can fast-track solutions," he said, while cautioning that he did not want to raise expectations unreasonably given the complexities involved.
Cllr Michael Kilcoyne also backed the motion and claimed that there would be significant savings to the taxpayer that could be achieved by reducing reliance on HAP payments.
Mayo county council housing director, Tom Gilligan, confirmed that visits to modular home facilities can be arranged. He noted, however, that the government's commitment to allocate 25% of housing delivery to Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) must still be pursued within existing procurement rules, meaning the council must deal with whatever companies come through the proper procurement process.
The committee agreed to press ahead with organising on-site visits to modular factories as a first step toward developing a strategy, with members urging speed as a necessity to alleviate the pressure felt by individuals in housing arrears.