Mayo councillor calls for Scandanavian housing to tackle homlessness and to protect environment

Mayo County Council has been urged to move away from 'polluting' traditional forms of home building and adopt Scandinavian style of housing to protect the environment as well as delivering housing more quickly.

Castlebar-based Independent councillor Harry Barrett made the suggestion at the Environment, Climate Change and Agriculture Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) meeting which took place last week.

Cllr Barrett told the council that housing and the environment are two of the most pressing issues facing Mayo County Council at the moment and called on them to be 'bold' and look at providing social and affordable housing using timber rather than concrete blocks. He said they are cheaper, more energy efficient and quicker to build than concrete block houses and believes the SPC should look at encouraging their use in the future.

“I am saying that if we are serious about environmental action here we have to start moving away from these traditional [building] methods. These highly polluting traditional methods of building using concrete blocks that in their construction destroy the atmosphere and we know that. I would like to think if we had that courage we could look towards a pilot scheme in one or all the municipal areas to put in social and affordable homes for people using these new construction methods which are less damaging to the environment and [can be built] faster.

“I am sick and tired of people ringing me and being told there is nowhere to go except Charlestown Lodge. They have nowhere to go because we cannot build quick enough. We will try to tackle two major problems we have in this council: the environment situation and the slowness of our provisions of providing social and affordable homes,” he told the meeting.

Cllr Barrett cited the Connemara-based company Scandinavian Homes as an example of a company which builds timber frame homes and suggested that the SPC visit their factory.

“They provide Scandinavian type homes which are used right throughout northern Europe which can be placed on site within two weeks. You provide the land and put in the base but they provide the house. If it is good enough for the people living in the harsher climates in northern Europe it is good enough for us and it can be done.”

Sinn Féin councillor Gerry Murray and Chairman of the SPC added that Mayo-based Big Red Barn company were providing timber frame housing and suggested visiting their factory in Swinford.

Cllr Barrett added that the county already has a pyrite problem because of defective concrete blocks and moving towards timber frame housing makes sense.