Preview of rapid-build modular housing set for Limerick

RAPID-BUILD modular homes will soon appear in Limerick city centre - a huge step forward in Mayor John Moran’s bid to eat into the housing waiting list.

Arthur’s Quay Park is set to play host to two modular units, which will demonstrate how these temporary homes could appear if rolled out across Limerick.

And, notably, one of these units could be the size of just over two car parking spaces as the mayor scopes out whether the public are interested in living in smaller spaces for a lower rent.

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Limerick City and County Council has been seeking expressions of interest from companies to deliver these units, and according to a specification provided to any interested bidder, one of these units could measure just 23.9 square metres, although Mayor Moran referenced a home of 30 square metres in an interview with Limerick Live.

Either way, these would be similar in size and scale to ‘micro-apartments’ which are found in cities like Tokyo, Paris and New York City.

The other unit on display will have a more standard floorspace of 45 square metres.

“What we are challenging the suppliers of modular units, which will function as one-bedroom apartments, is to come up with a unit that is 30 square metres, and come up with a unit that is 45 square metres. By definition one will be cheaper,” said Mayor Moran.

Ultimately, people will be asked which one they’d prefer to live in, and what kind of a rent they’d be willing to pay.

“My gut tells me in the same way when I was younger, when I was in Paris and New York, and I was prepared to trade a bit of extra space for extra cash in my pocket, that others would be happy to do that in Limerick,” he said.

The smaller the unit, the more temporary homes which can be built, which would prove a major advantage to potentially bringing down the number of people waiting to secure a home.

The Expression of Interest says these demonstrator units could be up for a two-week period in Arthur's Quay Park between now and August.

But Mayor Moran says he feels they could be left in situ for longer, now the Riverfestival village has left the area.

The former chairman of the Hunt Museum said: “I learnt from there, the problem is if you have a really good exhibition on for a week, by the time people are talking about it, it has gone. I think it will be easiest to leave it until we have the next big event coming along to Arthur's Quay.”

He says: “The gun is against my head”, and he is trying to have a lot of these modular homes ready on public land in time for the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in just over two years.

The time period for companies to express interest in delivering these demonstrator homes has passed, with staff now assessing the bids.

According to related documents, the onus will be on the contractor to provide a secure compound, and the ability to lock the units at night-time to prevent unauthorised access.

CCTV will be maintained while they are in situ at Arthur's Quay Park.