Sinn Féin: Refurbish social housing instead of building modular homes
Sinn Féin says empty social housing units should be refurbished, instead of building new modular homes.
It is reported that there are 3,000 unoccupied local authority housing units, which the party says is a higher number than the Government is planning to build.
Meanwhile, there are plans for 500 modular homes for Dublin, with 100 of these due to be ready by Christmas.
It is estimated these prefabricated homes will cost €100,000 each.
Sinn Féin says the Department of the Environment estimates that it would cost around €18,000 to refurbish each vacant housing unit.
Sinn Féin's spokesperson on housing, TD Dessie Ellis, said that these empty properties need to be put to use.
"I think we care an awful lot about location, but these three units are generally in Local Authority areas right across the city, and in other Local Authorities, whether it's Limerick or Cork," he said.
"I think these need to be got, put into use, I don't buy this argument about the areas they're in. I think people are only too willing to take up these places."
