A request for an injunction to halt the use of a site in Coolock for housing individuals seeking international protection has been lodged in the High Court. Melissa Kelly, Amanda Farrelly, and Alan Croghan, all members of the public, are pursuing injunctions to prevent the previous Crown Paints warehouse in Coolock from being converted into housing units, principally for Ukrainians escaping the conflict between their nation and Russia.
The legal action is directed at several persons and organisations such as Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth Roderic O’Gorman, Dublin City Council, the Chief Superintendent of Coolock, and Townbe Unlimited Company, alleged leaseholder of the site. Additional parties might be included in the suit later.
The trio, representing themselves, allege that the approval of the warehouse’s transformation into refugee accommodation is illegal and should be stopped due to violations of planning laws, including the lack of public consultation on the planned development.
Ms Kelly, speaking for the respondents, argued in court that the decision to change the site into housing for those seeking international protection was unconstitutional. She also contended that they deserved an injunction due to public uproar over the proposal, stating it could pose severe harm to local residents.
The site has been a hotspot for violent incidents and disorder. Several police officers were harmed, a police car and an excavator were set on fire, fireworks were launched at the public order unit and projectiles like glass bottles and rocks were thrown. Over a dozen individuals were detained and later charged with public order violations.
During Wednesday’s High Court vacation sitting, the case was mentioned briefly before Justice Rory Mulcahy. Justice Mulcahy disclosed his awareness of the situation, having previously issued orders in July to prevent unidentified individuals from engaging in violent behaviour at the site.
he declined to issue an immediate injunction on an ex-parte basis, citing reasons such as the delay by the applicants in initiating the suit. Although he noted that some of the points raised by the applicants were beyond a court’s jurisdiction, he acknowledged that some of their concerns warranted attention from the respondents.
The magistrate declared he was set to give the trio of petitioners the green light to notify the respondents of the proposed injunction request on an ex-parte premise, solely based on the provided proof. The lawsuit’s subsequent hearing was postponed to a date set for later in the month. The most recent petition put forth on Wednesday is one amongst several proceedings regarding the proposal to construct 500 prefabricated units predominantly for Ukrainian residents lacking appropriate housing in Ireland. In the previous month, Justice Mulcahy granted multiple orders in Townbe and developer Remcoll Capital Limited’s favour, barring mysterious individuals from resorting to any intimidating or threatening conduct towards staff at the location. The court also imposed restraints on any unlawful invasion of the site.