Consultation soon on Ukrainian homes in Laois town which is set to take more families that planned

Consultation is due to commence shortly with schools and other service providers in Rathdowney on the building of modular homes from Ukrainian families flee war waged by Russia.

Cllr John King, Fine Gael, also confirmed that the Department of Children, the lead agency, is also expected to hold an open day in the town's library in the coming weeks to outline the housing project local people.

Cllr King also told the Leinster Express Laois Live that the number of new modular homes to be located in the town would be increase from 30 to 42. The Fine Gael councillor said it was his understanding that similar but smaller Ukrainian housing project of Mountrath would not now proceed due to school capacity issues.

In the region of 120 people, mainly women and children, are set to be house in the south Laois town in homes on a green field site located on the road to the town's golf club.

Cllr King said the project will be delivered by the summer, hopefully May, on a multi-agency 

The land is owned by the Housing Development Agency. The Office of Public Works will co-ordinate construction while Laois County Council is assisting with the the project in a number of ways though it is not the lead agency. The overall project is being directed by the Department of Children.

Cllr King said the project is exempt from planning permission for a period of three years at which time he hoped that the homes could be made available for local people who need housing. 

The councillor supports the project and he said the sites' the development paves that way for more housing for local people as work done now will mean the entire will be able to be developed in the medium to long term for social housing.

The Ukrainians who will be housed in Rathdowney will not, according to Cllr King, be tenants of Laois County Council and the new homes are not classed as social housing.

Laois County Council confirmed in late 2022 that two adjoining fields referred to as a 'substantial site' were identified by the OPW last November following a site investigation.

A layout was also provided with county coucillors told the homes would be built to the "highest standard".

Engineers Ireland say a modular home is a house, consisting of sections, largely built off-site and then delivered and finished on site. They say that once a modular home is set in its foundation, it cannot be moved. They say modular homes are also considered to be prefab because most sections are built off-site. 

Ireland's engineers say that compared to some of the other common home construction methods, a modular home can be completed about 50% faster with building offsite removing 80% of construction activity.

As for cost, Engineers Ireland say that generally, a modular home's average cost will be 15% less than a similarly sized home that is built using traditional methods.

Latest official figures from the Central Statistics Office published in December show that there were 798 war refugees in Laois to the week ending Sunday, December 11. 

Rathdowney is located in the Borris-in-Ossory Mountmellick Municipal District which to December had the lowest number of refugees from the war. A total of 168 people had found a safe haven in the dstrict which stretches from the Offaly border to the boundaries with Tipperary and Kilkenny.

Across Laois, nearly a quarter Ukrainian arrivals are children. The figures also show that there are 114 Laois hosts in receipt of Accommodation Recognition Payment for housing some of the refugees in their homes. This is up 97 since November.