Objections lodged against two IPAS centres planned for Laois village

A STEADY flow of people attended the Castle Arms Hotel in Durrow on Monday night where they collected forms in which to lodge planning objections against two IPAS centres planned for the village.

The information night follows on from a public meeting the previous week that was called by the Durrow Community Council in opposition to the two centre plans and had attracted up to 300 people.

The owner of the two properties along Mary Street had submitted plans to Laois County Council, and if approved, would have the potential to accommodate up to 80 people in the properties 21 bedrooms.

A committee was formed following that meeting and were on hand on Monday night to distribute the ready-made templates suggesting the grounds on which people could lodge objections with Laois County Council to the two IPAS centres.

These suggested grounds of objections pointed out road congestion, public safety, health concerns, security and education.

In the suggested objections concerns are raised that the proposed IPAS centres would increase road congestion along the already busy N77 route. Parking along Mary Street where the IPAS centres are planned for is already chronically congested with very limited parking available. There was also concern that the proposed developments could potentially endanger public safety, cause a traffic hazard, obstruct road users as well as pedestrians.

Another ground of objection was that the community in Durrow already share a GP withy Rathdowney who is “not accepting new patients”, and the proposed developments would be putting even more pressure on local healthcare, “already at capacity and overflowing.” 

Durrow Garda Station seldom has an on-duty garda either in the building or patrolling the streets. The proposed development, according to the objection, “poses a significant and concerning security risk as a result. Should our population increase by almost 10% overnight, we simply would not have the garda presence required to ensure public safety.” 

Local education facilities are under pressure. The opposing group claim.

“Undue pressure is likely to be placed on the local school if this proposed development should go ahead as it will already be attempting to facilitate extra families in the local social housing development currently under construction between Derry Road and Derrywood. Two classrooms are under construction. However, these are merely to cater for the current demand. The proposed development would put even more pressure on our local school to cater for the educational and welfare needs of pupils and their families.” 

Deputy Brian Stanley who was not present at the initial public meeting, due to personal circumstances, spoke on Monday night.

He said: “This is turning into a bit of an industry in terms of pubs being done up, throughout the country, converting them and using them as IPAS centres.” 

“It is my position that those who are genuinely fleeing war, persecution and famine should be helped. There are people in awful situations, that we can only image. We see Gaza on our tellies every night. There’s a good few Gazas around the world at the moment.

“There are systems (immigration controls) in place, but they need to be tightened up. There needs to be a quicker, more robust and the rules clearly enforced. Otherwise, people wait years to be assessed or approved. But in the meantime, the government will say we have put them somewhere, and they finish up in places like this (Durrow). The process and appeals process could go on for years.” 

He said that the local group needs to keep focused on the planning aspects of the objections, the physical works that would be required to be carried out before any planning permission would be approved by Laois County Council for IPAS centres in the village.

He reminded the group that approximately 40 new houses are currently under construction in the village and another proposed development along the Cork Road and that should be factored into their objections.

He said: “Two IPA centres in a small village, is not acceptable.”