Mayor declares ‘housing emergency’ in Limerick ahead of ‘critical’ Council votes

MAYOR of Limerick John Moran this morning declared that Limerick is “facing a housing emergency”. The first citizen made the declaration ahead of what he described as a “series of critical votes in the Council chamber on housing delivery”. Later today, a special meeting of Limerick City and County Council will be held, during which elected members will discuss a motion which may put paid to the Mayor’s hopes for modular housing in Janesboro’s Boro Park, a plan which has caused much debate in recent weeks and months. Councillors at the meeting will consider Section 139 of the Local Government Act 2001, which gives elected members, by resolution, powers to direct that works do not proceed. At today’s monthly meeting of the Metropolitan District, city councillors will also decide on three developments which would deliver a combined 100 new homes across the city, including 13 at Ros Mor, Crosgalla, 57 at Toppins Field between O’Donoghue Avenue and John Carew Road, and 30 apartments on Mary Street. In a blog post this morning, Mayor Moran said that “Limerick is in a housing emergency. This is not a political slogan – it is a fact.” “We have been delivering only a fraction of the homes we need. The result is a growing gap of thousands of homes that is affecting families, workers, and young people right across our city.” The Mayor pointed to data showing that Limerick has delivered significantly fewer homes than required, with recent Government analysis placing the local authority at or near the bottom of national public housing delivery rankings. “Over the past number of years, across both public and private housing, we have built roughly one-third of the total number of homes required. That is the awful reality we must now confront and correct,” Mayor Moran said. He cited the need to deliver 4,000 homes a year to catch up on “the last decade of under-delivery”, suggesting that, in practical terms, this would mean “completing every year the delivery of 14 sites of the same scale as the LDA Gasworks site on the Dock Road”, which will deliver 285 new apartments. The Mayor said that decisions before councillors this week will be “critical in showing that they too are determined to play their part so that Limerick can begin to close that gap”. He said that “the question now facing councillors is straightforward: do they also want to help accelerate housing delivery, or do they want to make it harder to build the homes people need?” The Mayor’s blog post suggested increased housing delivery across “all viable sites”, “faster decision-making”, modern construction methods, and “consideration of additional investment, including borrowing where appropriate” as a pathway forward. Mayor Moran stressed that solving the housing emergency will require “collective leadership and a willingness to embrace change”. “This is not about one project or one site. It is about whether we are prepared to act at the scale and speed required to meet the needs of our people.” In a follow-up post, ahead of today’s special meeting on the Boro Park, the Mayor wrote about what he described as the “full context” behind development proposals. A statement from the Mayor’s office claimed that “while public concern is understandable, many residents have not yet been presented with the full details of what is proposed, including significant new investment in amenities such as a central park, sports facilities, and improved connectivity”. Mayor Moran said that “the lands in question were zoned for high-density housing by councillors under the current Development Plan, and form part of the wider Colbert Quarter masterplan developed through extensive consultation and expert input”. Ahead of the Section 139 discussions, the Mayor’s statement said it is “wholly inappropriate for some councillors to try to force the project to be aborted before the full project has been explained and allowed to run through the planning process”. “This is not a new or sudden proposal. It is part of a long-standing plan, shaped by experts, consultation and decisions taken by councillors themselves. “Residents deserve to see the full picture – what is proposed, what is not, and what the benefits could be for their community.” Mayor Moran said his blog post, available on his personal website, “sets out the rationale for the proposed development, including its city-centre location, access to public transport, and alignment with national and local planning policy, as well as the use of modern construction methods to accelerate delivery.” He called for “a more balanced and informed public debate”, stating that “there are valid concerns, and they must be heard. But decisions of this scale should be based on full information – not partial accounts.” The post Mayor declares ‘housing emergency’ in Limerick ahead of ‘critical’ Council votes appeared first on Limerick Post.