Crunch meeting to be held over construction of modular homes in Limerick park

MAYOR John Moran has agreed to meet southside residents over his controversial plans to erect modular housing in Boro Park at Janesboro.

On Wednesday, March 25, from 7pm at Our Lady Queen of Peace School in Janesboro, the first citizen will address locals and answer questions about the plan.

He has earmarked a number of sites across the city to install modular homes.

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But it is the plan to develop on Boro Park, which only opened to the public in 2021, which has prompted the most opposition, with local councillor Sarah Kiely saying: “I know the people who use the park in my area desperately do not want their park removed”.

“It’s important to show strength, to show our opposition to using a green space that has had significant investment and will be getting more investment if I have anything to do with it,” she added.

The City East councillor has questioned Mayor Moran, after she was told the numbers attending the meeting would be limited, with the first citizen also planning for it to be live-streamed.

“This affects everyone, because there are children who go to the local school using this park. There are a lot of people with disabilities who use the park, like people from Enable Ireland,” she said.

Cllr Kiely has accused the mayor of trying to “quieten people”, and added: “Recording the meeting doesn’t give anyone the right of reply. Being in the room does.”

But Mayor Moran has said it is the size of the school that is seeing a cap on the number of people who can attend the meeting later this month.

And by recording it, he argues, it will be seen by those who won’t be able to fit in the hall.

“I’m happy to have a conversation to explain what the plan is and listen to any concerns. But it’s not fair on people who can’t make it at 7pm that they can’t listen. It’s not fair if the numbers are so large that people can’t be there. Therefore, I think it’s only right it is recorded,” said the first citizen.

Mayor Moran said he envisages taking questions from both the floor and online in relation to his flagship housing proposal.