Homes for refugees to be in place by February

Thirty new rapid-build homes intended for Ukrainian refugees should be in place by early 2023. Construction at the greenfield site on the Farnham Road, next to Drumnavanagh, in Cavan Town, only began last month.

The State-owned site was once earmarked for the Department of the Marine in the mid 2000s under the abandoned decentralisation plan.

“Enabling works” to receive the housing units are currently underway, says a spokesperson for the Office of Public Works (OPW), and these will be “carried out over the next weeks”.

More than 100 refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine will be accommodated at the site once construction is completed.

The original plan outlined to political representatives at a briefing in late July envisaged the construction of 60 houses to accommodate up to 200 people. But those figures were subsequently halved.

“It is expected that the rapid build homes for families fleeing the war in Ukraine will be installed during January and February 2023,” confirmed a spokesperson for the OPW. “The site enabling works are underway and will be carried out over the next weeks, readying the site to receive the housing units. These homes are being built off site at the same time as the site enabling works are taking place and will be transported and installed on location once the site is ready. This means they can be put in place quicker than standard accommodation and there is less construction disruption to the area.”

The spokesperson added that each of the homes planned for Cavan Town is “designed to accommodate a family of four people”.

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) has been tasked with housing the refugees to whom the accommodation will be allocated.

The sports hall at Cavan Leisure Centre, once pencilled for use as emergency accommodation, is currently in use as a “public sports amenity”, and there are “no plans for alternative uses” at this time, confirmed its owners Cavan County Council.

In excess of 42,000 of the 53,000 refugees who have arrived in the Republic have applied for accommodation from the State, and DCEDIY say their focus is on their “immediate, short-term accommodation needs”.

There are, according to Departmental figures, more than 800 Ukranian refugees listed as Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in Cavan. The 30 Cavan semi-detached units are among the first of 500 modular accommodation units to have received Government approval nationally, and construction firm Sisk has been appointed as the main contractor for the project.

The site will have roads, footpaths, street lighting community facilities, including a play area and green spaces fully in line with local authority planning guidance.

The modular homes will furthermore be energy efficient, and have a 60-year lifespan.

The DCEDIY said they are working with other departments and agencies including the HSE and Department of Education to ensure the additional resources needed are in place.