'Everyone deserves a home': Plans to house up to 250 refugees in Mahon receive mixed reaction 

The site off St Michael’s Drive in Mahon is to have community facilities, including green spaces and a play area, and will accommodate primarily women and children fleeing the horror of war in Ukraine. 

The site is perched between towering, shiny corporate buildings and an older housing estate.

Parents visiting the local shop with their children this week voiced reservations about the plans, as a boy led two ponies casually past on a rope.

Local resident Sarah Pittaway said there are some Ukrainian children already enrolled in the local school.

But she was concerned the area was already too densely populated to take many more people in.

“There are different communities here,” she said.

Another woman said: “I don’t think it’s good. A lot of people here are living with their own parents because they can’t get a house. It’s not fair. I have nothing against the Ukrainians, it’s the Government that are not managing it well."

Local shop owner James O’Sullivan of St Michael’s Stores said he was “50/50” about the plan.

“A lot of people here are already waiting on the housing list,” he said.

Nicole McGuire was visiting family who live near the modular homes site. She lives with her five children in a two-bed home in Blackpool that her landlord is now selling and she said she may face moving her family to a homeless shelter.

“There’s a desperate need for housing and Christmas is coming up. We have nothing against them [Ukrainian refugees] but we have a housing need here too,” her friend Martina said.

Local resident Joseph Reilly said the two ponies he had been grazing on the site were suddenly taken to the pound as development was starting.

“I have nowhere to put them now, the land is gone,” he said. “A lot of people here are annoyed.” 

The first phase of development will begin this month. Some 200 units are to be delivered before the end of the year. A further 300 units will be rolled out nationally in January and February.

John Lannon, chief executive of Doras refugee and migrant rights NGO, said some refugees are now living in tents, which is unacceptable as winter closes in.

“The Government is currently providing accommodation to 52,000 people. Standards have plummeted, people have been living in tents,” he said.

We do have to look at all options, we have a legal and moral obligation to do that. Modular homes have to be considered."

“But when erecting and planning them, Government has to ensure that it provides any additional services and supports needed in the community. 

"They have to ensure that the community that are welcoming additional people in modular homes have those additional supports and are supported to welcome them.

“We do have concerns about the lack of attention to the standards of accommodation and services being provided.

We would have concerns about the quality, the standard of accommodation, we’ve seen places overcrowded, with inadequate kitchen facilities, places that are still like building sites.

“We’ve seen places where there doesn’t seem to be adequate training or understanding of child protection guidelines which is very concerning,” he said.

The Government said it provided “full information” to local authorities about the modular home plans in Cork, including plans for extra school places and additional health service requirements.

Modular homes are small, pre-fabricated dwellings that can be put in place more quickly than standard accommodation and there is less construction disruption to the area.

The Ukraine Civil Society Forum welcomed the building of modular homes.

"The brutal war in Ukraine continues, with tragic loss of life. Even were the war to end tomorrow, Russia has targeted and destroyed residential areas and key infrastructure — this will all need to be rebuilt. The building of modular homes for refugees is amazing," a statement said.

"As the constant moving of people from emergency accommodation to hotel to student accommodation and back out to hotel again is re-traumatising. Stability of accommodation is key and will allow people find jobs, children go to school and benefit from being part of Irish society."