Council to consider seeking injunction to halt Athlone asylum seeker centre work
Westmeath County Council has agreed to seek legal advice on taking out an injunction to halt the construction of temporary accommodation for up to 1,000 male asylum seekers on a site in Lissywollen, Athlone.
At a special meeting of the Athlone-Moate Municipal District which was convened this morning (Wednesday), councillors took the unprecedented step of issuing an Order under Section 31 of the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Act 1948, prohibiting the erection or retention of temporary dwellings on the lands at Lissywollen.
Section 31 of the Act provides for the making of an Order prohibiting the erection or retention of temporary dwellings if elected members are of the opinion that such erection or retention would be “prejudicial to public health or the amenities of the locality or would interfere to an unreasonable extent with traffic on any road”.
Alongside the issuing of the Order, councillors also overwhelmingly endorsed proposals by Mayor of the Municipal District, Cllr Frankie Keena and Cllr Aengus O'Rourke to seek “appropriate legal advice” to enable Westmeath County Council to take out an injunction to stop work on the construction of the proposed tented accommodation for asylum seekers in Lissywollen.
During the hour-long meeting, trenchant criticism was levelled at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for the lack of consultation with local public representatives in advance of a Ministerial Order being signed on October 7 to establish the new temporary accommodation facility in Athlone.
“What this government is doing is dumping people all over the country, and now it's Athlone's turn,” said Cllr Kevin 'Boxer' Moran, while Cllr Frankie Keena branded the Department's action as ”disgraceful” and “an insult to the role of local government”.
Throughout the meeting, councillors repeatedly argued that Athlone had played its part in providing accommodation for asylum seekers, and had been one of the first places in the country to establish a dedicated asylum seeker centre at Lissywollen in 2001.
“Athlone has accommodated, integrated, educated and employed hundreds of international protection applicants,” said Cllr Aengus O'Rourke, “but as a town we have reached capacity and I have yet to meet a single person from this town who agrees with the proposal to bring an additional 1,000 asylum seekers to Lissywollen.”
In seeking the issuing of the Order under Section 31 of the 1948 Act, Independent Ireland Cllr Paul Hogan outlined a long list of reasons why Athlone cannot provide temporary accommodation for a further 1,000 asylum seekers.
He referred to the long waiting lists for GP and dental appointments in Athlone and said the local MIDOC service is “overstretched.” He also cited the absence of Accident and Emergency Services and a minor injury unit, and said it has been “widely reported” that Athlone often has “only one ambulance and two garda patrol cars on duty” at certain times of the week.
Cllr Hogan also expressed “significant concerns” about sanitary health, and said there was “a high risk” of disease outbreak as a result of having such a high concentration of people in a small area and the resulting pressure it would put on the sanitary services infrastructure in the town.
He also referred to homelessness in Athlone as being “at record levels” and said many families already living in the asylum seeker centre in Lissywollen have had “no option but to stay there” due to being unable to access housing in the greater Athlone area.
Other issues referred to in Cllr Hogan's contribution related to the loss of local wildlife; the degradation of the local environment. He also said that current traffic levels on the Ballymahon Road are “at their peak” and the development of temporary accommodation at Lissywollen would “greatly increase traffic levels” and put further pressure on the road network in the area.
Cllr Frankie Keena put it on record that members of Athlone Moate Municipal District had engaged on two separate occasions with officials from the Department in a formal manner about its decision to locate up to 1,000 asylum seekers in Lissywollen.
“While we did receive responses to our queries and concerns it is unfortunate to point out that most were general in nature with absolutely no empathy displayed towards our concerns,” said Cllr Keena, who added that he would also like to put on record his “profound disappointment and annoyance” at the Department's “failure to consult” with local elected members in advance of making his decision in relation to Athlone.
Director of Services Cathaldus Hartin said “the first step” in issuing the Order moved by the special meeting of Athlone Moate Municipal District is its publication in a national newspaper, circulating in the local area, within a 14-day period.
He also told members that the council will “discuss legal advice” in relation to the issuing of an injunction seeking to halt the construction of work on the temporary accommodation at Lissywollen, as voted on by councillors at this morning's special meeting.