Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THREE MORE PROPERTIES in Tullamore town centre will be used to accommodate asylum seekers under direct provision, it has emerged following a meeting between officials from the Department of Justice and local councillors.
The Department announced on Tuesday that a 168-bed direct provision centre at the former Marian Hostel building would open in early March, with asylum seekers moving in on a phased basis.
Councillors sought clarity on the plans after locals made representations about being “blindsided” by the news, prompting a meeting with officials from the Department of Justice, the Department of Education and the HSE, this afternoon.
During that meeting, it was revealed that along with the Marian Hostel building itself, an adjoining house, and two separate houses on the opposite side of the street are also being used for accommodation in “the Marian Hostel Centre for Asylum Seekers”.
“So there’s a property adjoined to the Marian hostel which is empty, the [last residents] moved out five or six year ago,” councillor Tony McCormack explained.
“Then there’s a property across the road which was formally [a doctor's property] and then there’s a building in between – the round house which isn’t part of it – and then there’s one beside that and it’s also being used for the centre.”
Councillors were only made aware that the additional properties would be included in the plans during this afternoon’s meeting.
TheJournal.ie contacted the Department of Justice for clarification in relation to the additional properties. In a statement, a spokesperson said:
“The accommodation centre comprises the old Marian hostel, which has been extensively renovated and upgraded, and three adjacent properties that were already under the ownership of Bridgestock Care for a number of years and will be used to accommodate families.”
“We’re not happy that it’s both sides of the street,” McCormack said. “I would have been happier if it was in just one area. And I don’t know how the residents who own the house in between the properties are going to feel.”
“But the bottom line is: at this end of the day, we will welcome these poor asylum seekers. They’re obviously coming from bad situations wherever they are coming from.”
The accommodation buildings are all located on High Street, a narrow town centre street, surrounded by a number of local restaurants and retail outlets.
Many local residents declined to publicly comment on the issue which has sparked heavy criticism in recent days.
One local, who owns a business on High Street, and who asked not to be named, said the main issue concerned the lack of public consultation before the announcement was made.
“We have no problem with it but we at least expected that they would come and discuss with the local businesses. Nobody came and asked what it’s like in the area, how we feel. No consultation at all,” he told TheJournal.ie.
The property had not been in use for several years before being procured by the Department. Today, contractors were seen entering and leaving the building with locals expecting it to be up and running within the first week in March.
“It was lying empty for seven or eight years, maybe more, and all of a sudden in the last few weeks there has been people coming and going from it.
“As a businessman, I wouldn’t like it to be used as a direct provision centre in the middle of the town. We’ve been affected enough, we’re struggling away and we’re paying taxes and rates, and this is the last thing we wanted.
“It’s not going to bring any business to the town. Tullamore needs a good shopping centre, a good buzz, like Port Laoise and Mullingar.”
Another local resident suggested a location further out of the town centre would have been a more suitable option.
“To pick a property in the dead centre of the town that’s literally dying on its feet and decide lets park 160 something people. Why didn’t they pick a site within the vicinity but not the dead centre.”
“They’re using that property instead of a purpose-built property on the outskirts,” he added.
Local councillor Sean O’Brien said the communication between the Department and the local council was unsatisfactory and said the Department officials recognised this during the meeting today.
“All of us said it to them that the communication was dreadful and even our CEO, she wasn’t informed so the communications was dreadful and we now find, it’s not just the Marian Hostel involved but three other properties,” he said.
“We suspected it and now we have confirmation… it’s a done deal and it was signed by the Department and now that’s it.
“We just have to be honest with [residents] and tell them this is what it is.”
Councillors are visiting the centre next week to discuss capacity concerns in the buildings.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
The citizens who live in these towns should be deciding if they want direct provision centers in their area, not over paid politicians and councillors.
@Raven: do you get to decide who moves into your town
@Brian Mc Cabe: tullamore in two years time. Sit back and watch
@Raven:
“Administrators shouldn’t get to administer! It should be the citizens!”
@Fergus:
They’re not administrators if they don’t consult with the citizens that it effects directly, you’re thinking of a different word.
@Brian Mc Cabe:
Not I, we do. Our local ribbon cutters consult with us, the people in our area, on any major issues that will or could effect us, doesn’t yours?
@Raven: what (alt-rite, hence oxymoron) logic or law is that founded on birdie?
@Joe Davis: Have you looked at Tullamore now, 168 refugees might bring the tone of the place up lol
Could be used to house single people who are either in homeless hostels or small families that are in B&Bs etc, would give them a start to rebuild their lives,
@Paul O’Sullivan: plenty of ghost estates around the country which will remain unoccupied because “our own” refuse to move out of their own locality.
@Paul O’Sullivan: Does Tullamore have a big homelessness problem or a housing crisis?
People complaining that an existing building is being re purposed as a direct provision centre, yet if the council build a ‘purpose built’ centre ‘outside the town’ there’d be uproar about the money spent. All this is is NIMBYism.
@Paul: that’s not true, I’m talking about single men, in particular, who are left in homelessness for years, because they cant get a job because their homeless and they cant get a private rental because their homekess/ jobless etc
Men who end up isolating themselves with same and end up drinking or abusing drugs out of social exclusion.
And their are young women in this situation too.. in care for years such as foster families only at 18 years of age abandoned by the system…. into homeless hostels…
@Terrence Edwards: ah deres a bit of the ole racism in there too
@Graham Manning: shame on you, no one mentioned race, I’ve only posted facts.
@Paul O’Sullivan: did I direct that to you? Nope. And you trying to say that zero of the opposition to this fro anyone is in any way rooted in racism? Come on….
@Paul O’Sullivan: the on street homeless won’t move away from their dealers and begging spots. The hotel homeless wont move away from Krispy Kreme.
@Paul: no there aren’t
It shouldn’t be in centre of the town then on another note they can house asylum seekers but not their own homeless
Supply homes for IRISH homeless first. Any accommodation left over can go to others after consultation with local residents.
This is way out of hand, we can’t keep shoving people into the arse end of nowhere just to meet our international obligations.
The locals and the asylum seekers deserve better than this, we’re constantly told how well we’re doing but nothing seems to improve.
PTSD must be present amongst this group and it can be treated, care doesn’t stop at the door.
@Cormac Laffan:
You can bet there’s EU or NGO money involved in all of this.
@Cormac Laffan: In Germany they would be forced to work in industry starting in menial jobs to contribute to the economy. We’re the only country that allows freeloading.
@Cormac Laffan: Well put ..ignore the comments from the ones who accuse the locals of being ‘nimbys’ when they themselves and their own back yards are far away from it (that’s if they’re fortunate enough to have a back yard!)…
@Dnom: Not free-loaders. This is the first batch of low/no hours wokers on minimum wage who will gladly take jobs doing anything and thereby destroy the local labour market. Kids in Tullamore will have to go elsewhere for work while the new workers of Tullamore will never be able to earn enough to buy homes and the place will spiral into a ghetto.
Can they hurl???
@John Smith: On the train to Dublin from Carlow last year I listened to a guy sat behind me talking about hurling for his school team. I tried picturing the guy, sounded a lot like the lads I met in Athlone RTC who were mad into GAA. When we arrived in Hewston, I stood up to get off. He was a black lad, about 16-17.
@David Jordan:
I watched Paul McGrath on the tele one time talk about football and Guinness, what’s your point?
@David Jordan: *Houston
@Aido: Heuston even
When Brexit kicks in next jan, the dept of justice will be putting asylum seekers up in civil servants homes.
LOL
Post Berxit we are going to be inundated with asylum seekers being the handy go to English speaking country that provides free social welfare and housing. We are exploited in every way possible from big corporation tax avoidance, tax free landlords/vulture funds and welfare scamming.
They’ll take one look at Tullamore and get back on the bus, don’t worry.
Wow. They must run a competition for the most depressing looking buildings in Ireland.
May I ask the question -
“Is it not the case that an owner of a building proposing a change of use (from the original use that was granted for the build/ grant of planning permission) – that they must reapply through the normal planning application processes to the County Council. This would normally involve that a public notice would be posted/nailed to a prominent position at the exterior of the site facing onto the public road outlining the building’s new proposed purpose???
Have I missed something here…perhaps with a sneaked-in legislative change for so-called ‘emergency accommodation’
…er …how would one define an ‘emergency’ in terms of a timeframe?
– with the future occupants of direct provision centres usually languishing in this limbo for many years
– even decades!
Ahh well blame the yanks, Brits and Russians for their pathetic show of muscle for most of that.
have your say