Money flows in to Durrow community fundraiser to fight approval for IPAS centre

FOLLOWING the granting of formal planning approval by An Bord Pleanála for a new IPAS centre in Durrow on the former site of Lennon’s bar and the nearby Peadar’s bar, the owner, Marc Lennon, was granted permission to develop them into lodgings capable of hosting 30 people in each.

The approval was met with dismay by many in Durrow, who believe that the area has already hit capacity in the number of international protection applicants it can host and such is the strength of their conviction that they have launched a GoFundMe page dedicated to community funding to raise €15,000 towards an appeal which, they hope, will overturn the planning board’s decision, which, at the time of writing, has raised €7,233.

One of the organisers of the fund, who wishes to remain anonymous, explained the reasons behind the relatively high cost. "So, in order for us to put together an appeal and the costs of doing that and engaging with professional services, professional planning services, professional legal services and all that, to put together a strong appeal will cost the community group, which is pretty much a small organisation with very little resources, so the GoFundMe page was set up in order to seek financial assistance from the public in order to help cover the costs of engaging professional legal services and the ability to do a comprehensive appeal."

Explaining their objections, the spokesperson stressed how supportive they and the entire community have been and continue to be of the many international protection applicants – mostly Ukrainian women and children – that have come to live in the Durrow area. "We've done a big collection of closed donations, all that kind of thing to help them settle in, make them feel welcome and they've been fantastic. They've integrated really well. If you go through our village tidy towns page, you'll see they have come out and lent support, got active in the community."

The spokesperson also warned how, under the current system, if the new IPAS centre does end up coming to fruition, all the Ukrainians currently living in existing facilities in the area would be moved on to somewhere else, which would not only be upsetting for them but also the whole community, whom they are now so well integrated with.

Beyond the immediate social risk, the spokesperson explained that GP services for the area had been stretched, with the town already sharing its services with Rathdowney over eight miles away. Combine that with the recent influx of Ukrainians seeking temporary protection and add in the prospect of another IPAS centre and the argument is that services will be almost impossible to access.

"We have a second issue, which is traffic and parking. We are on the N77, which goes between Portlaoise and Kilkenny city. It's a very heavily trafficked route. We already have in excess of 100 articulated lorries going through the narrow streets every day. So, I would say the traffic in the town is at a level pre-motorway at least. These centres are going to need workers who will need parking, there’s going to have to be deliveries into these two centres, ongoing delivery services, you know. So, at the moment, we consistently have reports of people who are parking on the streets, they're getting their cars damaged because of an articulator that is trying to get up and down, it's a big problem as it stands. So, adding in these centres, which will inevitably bring more traffic anyway, that’s going to be huge as well.

While the fund has yet to reach its goal, the spokesperson is encouraged by the strong support and community engagement that it has generated, especially in the context of the overall cost-of-living crisis and the recent fuel protests, which, they argue, may divert focus away from the fund. The spokesperson urged those considering launching their own appeal to instead join the community initiative.

"We're only a small community of 946 people, you know, according to the last census. I think the level, you know, and that’s 946, that's including babies, children, elderly, as well as ordinary people. So, to get as far as we've got, I think is an outstanding community achievement in itself."