Approximately 100 people gathered outside the site of a proposed IPAS migrant centre in the Wicklow village of Newtownmountkennedy late yesterday evening.
A crowd made up of men and women of diverse ages as well as children gathered around two fire pits as the evening drew in.
The protest, which one woman described as a “24-hour vigil”, began last week after word spread that the site of the long abandoned River Lodge in Trudder is being assessed by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) to house an unknown number of international protection applicants or Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) from Ukraine.
Last week the Greystones Guide reported remarks from Cllr. Shay Cullen who said that the “lack of communication from the Department is so frustrating,”.
He continued, “Everything seems to be done in secrecy. When I spoke to one of the security team on site he said he didn’t know what’s going on. It begs the question, why do you need a security company working on protecting what is a derelict site, and has been for well over 20 years?” he said.
Speaking to Gript locals said that the lack of information as to what exactly the government is planning to do with the site was causing “fear” in the village which they say is lacking in amenities and does not have a full-time Garda station.
An elderly woman who lives ‘just down the road’ from River Lodge claimed that issues related to the Grand Hotel in Wicklow Town which is currently housing hundreds of male asylum seekers has led to locals setting up ad-hoc groups in order to escort vulnerable people from place to place in the town for security reasons.
Local woman Mags said that the scouts in the area lack a den and that there had been hopes that the abandoned building – which is just metres from a GAA pitch -could be turned into an amenity for the people of Newtownmountkennedy.
Commenting on the situation, Senator Pat Casey said “The Department [of Integration] needs to keep both public representatives and the local community informed at every stage, as the lack of information will just fuel further suspicion. People need to know what is being proposed for the site. The difference here is that it is a state-owned property, so there is no private owner to be negotiated with.”
A local man accused authorities of being involved in “active deceit” saying it planned on “dumping” an unspecified number of people into the area without providing resources like counselling or English language training. He added that this pattern had been repeated across the country by the Department of Integration.
The site is manned by security guards housed in a small prefab-like structure who locals say have no reason to be afraid as the demonstration is “peaceful” and an attempt to force authorities to communicate the details of the plans for the site.
It is understood that IPAS intends to house the IP applicants/BOTPs in ‘pods’ such as are being used in Flood’s Cross, Naas, County Kildare.
Demonstrates told Gript that there were “whispers” that as many as 1,000 people could be housed on the “3-acre” site of land on which River Lodge stands with locals telling Gript that the lawn around the building have been ‘dug out’ and covered in gravel for that purpose.