Councillors from Athlone and Moate have announced plans to seek a legal injunction to halt the construction of temporary accommodation for 1,000 male asylum seekers in Athlone.
The decision, made unanimously at a special meeting on Wednesday, 30th of October, follows concerns that the Department of Integration approved the project without consulting the local community.
The proposed accommodation site in Lissywollen would house applicants from the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS). However, Athlone Municipal District councillors argue that the development could have adverse effects on public health, local amenities, and traffic in the area.
Councillor Paul Hogan explained, “We made the decision based on our concerns and the community’s concerns about public health; about the impact on local amenities and the impact on traffic on any road in the vicinity”.
The councillors plan to use their authority under the Local Government Reform Act 2014 to block the development, asserting that the Act grants local authorities powers to control the construction of temporary dwellings. They believe this authority challenges the Department of Integration’s reliance on Section 181 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, which was recently amended to allow asylum accommodation developments to bypass standard planning permission requirements.
Last week, Midlands-North-West MEP for Independent Ireland, Ciaran Mullooly appeared on the Tonight Show on Virgin Media supporting the decision by local councillors. He asserted that the decision to house 1,000 single males in an area that had seen migrant families living peacefully for 20 years without any consultation should not be allowed happen, noting that despite the Government’s rhetoric in recent months the lack of proper consultation has continued. “They have learned nothing” he said.
MEP Mullooly also noted during the TV show that the decision by councillors in Athlone is a unanimous one taken by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Labour, Independent, and Independent Ireland councillors in the Municipal District.
When the legal action proceeds, it will mark the first time a local authority has contested a State decision on asylum accommodation on planning grounds. The outcome could set a precedent for other municipal districts facing similar developments without local consultation.
