NI firm with deal for modular homes subject to fire safety audit

Work undertaken by a Northern Ireland construction company, which has been awarded the contract to provide modular housing for homeless families in Dublin, is the subject of a fire safety audit.

Western Building Systems, a Tyrone-based company, will be announced on Monday as the winning tender to provide the first 22 modular homes at a site in Ballymun.

The announcement comes as the Department of Education conducts an audit of fire safety at four schools built by Dungannon-based Western Building Systems.

A spokesman for the department confirmed audits were under way at Educate Together national schools at Powerstown, Co Tipperary, Belmayne, Dublin and in Mullingar, Co Westmeath as well as at Gaelscoil na gCloch Liath, in Greystones, Co Wicklow.

The fire safety concerns came to light following an architect’s audit of the 200-pupil Rush/Lusk ETNS in 2014, conducted after the department told the school the prefabricated building would be kept in use on a long-term basis. It had been intended as a temporary building.

The audit found “problems with items such as sound proofing, windows deficiencies, certain exit doors that were considered inadequate in terms of security and access”, said the department spokesman.

A further report "which involved an extensive and invasive survey of the school building" was commissioned and remedial works done, overseen by Dublin Fire Brigade.

Survey

A department-led audit of fire safety at the four other schools has found no issues, said the spokesman. “However, in addition the department has engaged an independent fire safety consultant to carry out a more detailed follow-up survey in the schools involved, over the coming weeks.”

Rory McGuigan, business development manager with Western Building Systems, would not confirm or deny the company had won the tender for the first batch of modular homes.

“With regards to fire safety audit by the Department of Education on our schools we are satisfied that there are no faults on our part and can confirm that all of our school buildings comply with fire and safety regulations at the time of construction.”

Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly has promised 500 modular homes would be provided to temporarily accommodate homeless families, with the first to be in place before Christmas. To meet this deadline, on-site work needs to begin within the next fortnight.

These first 22 are to be on a pilot basis with another 128 to follow shortly after under a fast-tracked procurement process.

A further 350 would then be delivered through a new national procurement framework, overseen by central government.

Dublin City Council will be funded to buy the units, at a cost of €40 million.

The tender notice said the first 22 units should be three-bedroom, two-storey units for five people.

The move to provide modular homes comes as the latest figures show during the week of 18th to 25th October that there were 1,425 children in 677 families in emergency accommodation in Dublin – a 109 per cent increase in the number of homeless children since October 2014, when there were 680 Dublin children in emergency accommodation.