Plan is ‘hugely unfair’ on the people of Roscrea

The successful establishment of a direct provision centre in Borrisokane is the “template” that should be followed in Roscrea, a local authority meeting has heard.

Controversial plans to accommodate up to 400 Ukrainian refugees at the former Sacred Heart Convent were discussed at last week's meeting of Tipperary Co Council. Local councillor Shane Lee wanted to know if the council had been briefed about the Roscrea proposal. He also inquired about a fire safety cert for the long-vacant building.

Cllr Lee said the community of Roscrea are “very kind-hearted, very caring and very welcoming people”. But the news of the intention for the Sacred Heart site has caused a lot of concern among the general public. People do not believe that the town has the services required to meet the needs of such an influx.

Minister for Integration Roderick O’Gorman is “sleepwalking” on the matter, Cllr Lee said, calling on the minister's department and the site owner, McHale Residential Ltd, to listen to the concerns of the local community.

“The people of Roscrea deserve a bit better because as far as we're concerned, it's the cart before the horse here, and that's hugely unfair on the people of Roscrea.”

Cllr Michael Smith said the convent was identified as a “key site for Roscrea” under the Town Centre First development plan. The building has been vacant for the last 25 years and local representatives were “left in the dark” about the new use proposed for it.

Recalling the council's assistance with integrating Syrian families in Tipperary communities in recent years, Cllr Smith wanted the CEO to contact the owners of the convent site.

“We've been absent from the discussions so far,” he said. “We need to work with the owners regarding the long-term plan for that site.”

THE BORRISOKANE MODEL

Cllr Joe Hannigan said Borrisokane has become “lauded as a template” for the rest of the country to follow since news was announced in 2019 of the opening of a direct provision centre in that town. There were meetings between the local community and the Dept of Justice, the site owners and public representatives, and the plan worked out successfully.

But that level of engagement appears to be absent from the Roscrea situation, where the mistaken impression seems to be that the services will follow the people, Cllr Hannigan said. He questioned how the local education and health services would cope with a sudden arrival of 400 people, and he supported the call for the council to intervene and “go back to the model of Borrisokane”.

“There's a time-bomb ticking here,” Cllr Hannigan told the meeting. “There has to be proper engagement or there will be problems down the line.”

Cllr Séamie Morris agreed that the Borrisokane process proved successful but he said the department “had to be dragged down to meet us; that's not the way things should be done”.

He warned that every empty building in the country is a “target” for the Government in its “panic” to deal with the accommodation situation. Cllr Morris also observed that refugees are being accommodated in modular homes; surely such units should also be usable by the general population in the middle of a housing crisis, rather than taking people to court over them, he argued.

Chief Executive Joe MacGrath said the difficulty is that Tipperary Co Council does not have a direct role in the situation. The project is a matter concerning the International Protection Accommodation Services, the department and the owner of the Roscrea building.

Mr MacGrath confirmed that he had not received any personal contact about the proposal. He said the council could write to the minister outlining the concerns expressed by local representatives.

Cllr Lee said the owner had stated that Tipperary Co Council was “fully briefed” on the plan.

Chief Fire Officer Dave Carroll clarified that a fire safety cert for the convent building was being processed by the council. The owner has been written to and advised that the building cannot be used without a cert.

In relation to modular homes, Senior Executive Planner Anne Marie Devaney said the council has a legal obligation to take action where it receives a complaint. Failure to do so be would be a breach of the Planning and Development Act, she said.

Meanwhile, McHale Residential Limited has issued a statement in which it said it would assist the Ukrainian families with integrating into the local area but will ensure to respect the historic nature of the convent building. A team of conservation architects, engineers, surveyors and a construction crew have been assembled, and the company said it is working with the council and relevant internal experts to ensure a “sustainable and compliant construction”.

In its statement to Tipp FM, the company added that that a number of local politicians have been involved in the discussion of the project over the last eight months. McHale Residential advised that the convent is in bad need of repair and stated that it would require a multi-million euro spend to safeguard the building's future.

The company acknowledged “local sensitivities” and stated that their aim is to ensure the Ukrainian reception centre is “run in a manner that is respectful of the local community’s concerns”.