Modular home 'bail out' to Donegal urged as Oireachtas hears defective home update

Donegal County County Council will raise the possibility of the provision of modular homes with the Department of Housing.

The matter was tabled this week by Independent Councillor Michael McBride, who said that it is time a 'bail out' was offered to those affected by the defective blocks crisis.

Councillor McBride called on the Minister for Housing, Darragh O'Brien, and his Department to intervene with Donegal suffering a dual crises of the defective blocks and rocketing rents.

Councillor McBride was speaking on Tuesday at the monthly meeting of the Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District – the same day as the defective blocks issue was discussed with the Oireachtas Housing Committee.

Only 43 homes in Donegal have been fully remediated under a government scheme. There are over 8,500 homes affected in the North West and Mid West regions with at least 6,000 of those in Donegal.

The committee heard that the government has yet to appoint a senior counsel to investigate the controversy – something it promised to do last year.

Until May 1, there had been a total of 436 applications under a revised scheme with 16 of those rejected as they didn't meet the damage threshold while a further 195 have been either offered or awarded a grant.

Donegal County Council Director of Services Michael McGarvey caused a stir when he told the Oireachtas Housing Committee that it was a 'lifestyle choice' as to why there wasn't a greater number of homeowners applying to the scheme.

The Mica Action Group wrote to Mr McGarvey and outlined that they were 'appalled and disappointed' by his comment.

“Homeowners cannot apply to the scheme because they are locked out financially,” the letter said.

“Homeowners are not applying to the scheme because they have no faith in the IS465 recommendations.

“Homeowners are not applying because they cannot find suitable alternative accommodation; for those with a disabled member of their family this is nigh on impossible.

“Older homeowners or those dealing with serious illness cannot apply as they do not have the physical and/or financial resources to deal with the demands of the scheme.”

MAG told Mr McGarvey that the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme is 'failing' homeowners and asked that he retract what they called an 'ill-informed, misleading and therefore offensive' comment.

Mr McGarvey said: “Our focus is on homeowners and trying to make this as simple as possible.

“I did not mean to misrepresent anything there. We are absolutely convinced that we can overcome some of the operational issues that we have experienced.”

Councillor McBride has raised the possibility of modular homes being provided several times in recent years.

“This is high time the government stood up and backed us to put modular homes in place,” he told Tuesday's meeting.

“This is 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.

“People's backs are to the wall. 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.”

The Council is progressing on social housing developments to deliver some 354 homes in the Letterkenny-Milford MD, but Councillor McBride said it will be a minimum of two years before many of these units are on-stream.

Sinn Fein Councillor Gerry McMonagle seconded Councillor McBride's motion and said that modular homes should be constructed this summer in advance of the next winter.

A spokesperson for Donegal County Council said that the local authority has requested a meeting with the Department of Housing. The Council says that the matter of modular housing can be raised at that summit.