The Department of Integration has confirmed that no planning permission is necessary to house international protection applicants (IPAs) in military-style tents on the state-owned land at Thornton Hall in County Dublin. The department is exploring the potential of using some of the 160-acre site to tackle the accommodation lack. It specified to the community representatives that part of the site has been chosen for IPA accommodation, with the initial plan being to utilise a section of this area for emergency housing.
The government office stated that it’s working closely with the Department of Justice and the Irish Prison Service to make the accommodation available sooner rather than later. The land, which used to be a farm and farmhouse, was acquired by the state in 2004 with the aim of establishing a fresh prison. Still, the project never commenced, leaving the property in north County Dublin idle.
Helena McGann, representing a group of around 20 local residents under the name Thornton Hall and Environment Support Group, expressed the lack of on-site infrastructure to cater to a large populace. She voiced concerns about the potential number of people the authorities intend to host on the 162-acre land.
During the Friday edition of Morning Ireland on RTÉ, Tánaiste Micheál Martin suggested the relocation of people to the locale in north Dublin will occur between four to six weeks. An Integration Department spokeswoman stated there was no requirement for building consent for the emergency tented accommodation they had planned. With further inspection of the site still pending, it remained unclear how much of it will be utilised.
The representative explained that the plan was to house asylum seekers in military standard tents with basic amenities such as water, meals, hot showers, sanitation facilities, mental health and other services. The availability of these supports would determine the land’s utilisation for the purpose of emergency accommodation.
The representative communicated that land potentially appropriate for emergency housing had been identified, and information about this was immediately shared with local authority integration teams and local public representatives. This was done through an information sharing ‘cascade’, in the hope that local communities would receive the information in this manner.
She further stated that residents are entitled to be aware of developments in their locality, but they cannot dictate who settles there. She underscored the urgency of the situation by highlighting the high number of people seeking asylum arriving, and expressing concern that without swift action, women and children may be left homeless.