Locals in Durrow are “absolutely delighted” that planned asylum centres for the small Laois town have been refused planning on appeal, with local Councillor Ollie Clooney telling Gript it “felt like a dark cloud was lifted”.
The applications for the conversion of two bars in Durrow – Lennon’s and Peadar’s – into accommodation for asylum claimants was approved by Laois County Council despite strong opposition in the town which has a population of just 934 people.
Local media reported that a “huge crowd” turned out in Durrow last July, packing the ballroom of the Durrow Arms hotel as up to 300 local people expressed their concerns. The meeting was attended by local councillors and supported by local TDs. It heard that 1,700 people were on the Laois Co Council’s house waiting list, that the town did not have the services to support asylum claimants, and that there was a fear of “unvetted men” coming to Durrow. Some spoke in favour of the application.
However, in March 2026, Laois County Council approved the application. Local people in Durrow Community Council who had organised the meeting then set up a well-supported crowd-funder to organise an appeal of the planning approval to An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP).
On August 20th, ACP refused planning permission for the asylum accommodation saying it “considered that the layout as proposed would result in substandard accommodation for future occupants and would, therefore, be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.”
It also said that in the “absence of a more comprehensive and robust audit of social, communal and educational facilities, the Commission considers that it has not been adequately demonstrated that sufficient social infrastructure exists to cater for the demand arising from the current proposal in conjunction with other proposed facilities within Durrow.”
Cllr Clooney said that local people were “absolutely delighted” and “relieved” with the outcome, and that it “felt like a dark cloud was lifted off Durrow”. He praised the community for coming together to stand for what they believed was right for the town.
“People felt very worried and had genuine concerns,” he said. “They didn’t want the town overwhelmed and they have an understandable fear of the unknown,” he said, adding that as happened in many other small towns and communities, people were not consulted.
“An Coimisiún Pleanála made the right decision, and I agree with them that this would not be suitable for the town,” he said.
He had previously told a County Council meeting in March that: “There will be no IPAS in Durrow, I can guarantee you that because they’ll have to drive over us first.”
He explained how he had to turn his phone off because it almost exploded from the sheer volume of calls and messages he received in relation to it. He was supported by Cllrs John King, Conor Bergin and James Kelly on the matter.
Laois councillor Aidan Mullins welcomed the ACP decision saying it was “a sensible decision for the Durrow community”.
Last September, Cllr Mullins said that the IPAS system was “riding roughshod” over communities. “Towns in rural areas are forced to accommodate large numbers of asylum seekers. They are mostly young men. Towns are suffering because of a lack of services like GPs, housing. It is causing safety concern, division and anger,” he said at a meeting of Laois County Council which urged Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan to end a planning exemption that allows buildings to avoid approval for IPAS centres.
“In Portarlington the only hotel was used to house large numbers until IPAS ended the contract. We lost our three local hotels, the East End, the Hazel and the Montague to asylum seekers.
“It’s a billion euro industry now. Our own communities must be prioritised and planners can then see if it is appropriate and the community should have a say. Now they are being offered €10,000 to go home. The Minister says over 80% are fake, not genuine yet they are putting them up in hotels and destroying cohesion of communities,” Cllr Mullins added.