An additional 150 properties are to be set aside for the use of Ukrainians this year according to a briefing document sent to Offaly County Council from Local Government Ireland and seen by Gript.
The 150 properties are to be delivered this year by local authorities to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) – or the 100,000 Ukrainians who have come to Ireland since the start of the current Russia – Ukraine conflict in March 2022.
The news comes after Independent TD for Laois Offaly Carol Nolan was informed that a former convent in the small town of Banagher Co. Offaly is currently awaiting arrivals of up to 84 Ukrainian BOTPs in addition to the 23 BOTPs who currently reside at the property.
The council told Deputy Nolan that the owner has received their contract from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The council also stated in reply to the Independent TD that it would issue a briefing note on the situation shortly.
In response to the news Deputy Nolan said she has received “a number of Banagher residents coming to my offices looking for absolute certainty about the future of the Convent, and that is why I made representations on this matter,”
She continued, “It is a very trying time for many people, including those within surrounding areas who feel powerless about what is happening to buildings in their localities. They worry about who precisely will be accommodated and when the support services will be in place to back up the increase in population levels.”
“I want to reassure all of those people that I will continue to advocate on their behalf and try my best to assist them in obtaining factual information with respect to what exactly is happening in their towns and villages,” concluded Deputy Nolan.
The briefing note on the 150 additional properties for Ukrainians says that “pressure” to accommodate 100,000 in a “short space of time” has led to “significant constraints” on the type of accommodation provided and that the number of arrivals from Ukraine is expected to remain high.
Information has also been given to TD’s and local authority members about the establishment of a new Refurbishment Programme which is supported by a change in the Planning and Development Regulations.
According to the document, this is being coordinated by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Department of the Taoiseach.
The note seen by Gript says the delivery of the programme is, “at ground level, driven by the Ukraine response teams within each Local Authority with National Coordination managed by the Local Government Management Agency, who assist the Local Authorities in the delivery on the expanded workstream at local level.”
“Nationally, this programme was set to provide accommodation in 53 properties in 2023, with over 150 additional properties already in the pipeline of delivery for 2024.” it said.
The briefing note says that the accommodation provides for “a mix of families, elderly people and single persons from Ukraine, and is in the form of either shared recreational/living/sanitary with own bedrooms or independent own door accommodation.”