Plans to house International Protection (IP) applicants at the historic Middleton Park complex in Castletown-Geoghegan have been abandoned.
In February, the Department of Integration confirmed that it was in discussion with the owners of the house as being a possible location for IP applicants, which triggered considerable distress among local residents.
During a large village hall community meeting, it was revealed that more than 200 IP applicants could be housed in the 19th-century Georgian house, which would have resulted in a significant rise in population to the village.
The prospect of a sudden rise in population was the primary concern of Castletown-Geoghegan residents, along with a number of secondary concerns ranging from a lack of local garda presence to the remoteness of Middleton Park.
On Monday, the Department of Integration confirmed to Westmeath Topic that the plan to house IP applicants at Middleton Park had been abandoned by the providers.
statement
In a statement, the Department said: “The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) is currently not considering this property as an accommodation centre. The provider that had offered the property has withdrawn their proposal.”
The Castletown-Geoghegan Steering Committee has welcomed confirmation from the Minister Integration Roderic O’Gorman, that plans to house International Protection Applicants in Castletown Geoghegan will not go ahead.
“The Castletown-Geoghegan Steering Committee extends our appreciation to Deputy Robert Troy and Minister Peter Burke and all elected representatives, who lobbied on our behalf on this issue,” they said in a statement on Monday.
“There is a huge sense of relief in the village that our concerns in relation to the utter unsuitability of the property to provide accommodation and the subsequent impact on local services are now vindicated by the commitment by Minister O’Gorman not to proceed with previous plans to house IPA’s in our small village.
“The Castletown-Geoghegan Steering Committee also wishes to thank the wider community of this area for their unstinting and solid support for our committee over the last six months. Public meetings were hugely attended demonstrating the support our committee received and we extend our appreciation to one and all.
“We also wish to thank the print and broadcasting media outlets who collectively reported on this very serious issue for our community.
“The Castletown-Geoghegan Steering Committee now looks ahead to the continued enhancement and improvement works taking place in the village.”
