One of the 318 IPAS centres in Ireland is in the market town of Macroom, County Cork. The Riverside Park Hotel has been used as a direct provision centre since 2019. Initially the hotel was to be used to house asylum seekers for short periods.
It had been bought by the OPW in 2000 for €3.5 million for that purpose, but never went ahead because of legal challenges brought by determined locals who opposed the hotel being used for this purpose. It was sold on in 2016 at a loss to the state of 1.1 million.
Planning permission was sought in November 2024 by the current owners, Peppard Investments, for 20 apartments and 10 parking spaces adjacent to the Riverside Park facility on the Killarney Road. While the Peppard Investments apartment complex will be the third IPAS facility to come to the market town, the second such building – formerly known as Penns Hotel in the centre of the town – was decommissioned as an IPAS centre several months ago.
This leaves only one functioning hotel in a town that is trying to promote itself as a tourist destination.
The complex that received planning approval this month will be to the left of the Riverside Park facility. The recently redeveloped and decorated bungalow on the site will be demolished to make room.
A press release from local TD Aindrias Moynihan’s office states there are stipulations attached to the approval:
Each planning application received by Cork County Council has to go through the necessary processes for each planning application made and individuals have a chance during this process to submit their objections. There have been many new developments in the town of Macroom which has seen an increase in housing supply with planning permission in place for homes other than the 20 in this particular application, construction also continues on a number of sites locally.
The specific planning you are referring to was granted and the individuals who had made a submission on it had then, an opportunity, to bring a case to the appeals bord and I believe that two people did do this. This process is the same and available on all developments that are in for planning for the town.
The property owner when submitting the planning application to Cork County Council stipulated that it was for IPAS and I note that a condition of granting specifies that this will be the only use. The property owner would also have to approach the Department for an IPAS contract and am making enquiries directly with the Department to see if an approach has been made by the property owner.
One of the conditions of planning is that the new waste water plant and the drinking water plant for Macroom has to be completed, this is important to ensure the necessary infrastructure is available in the town for any new developments and will increase the housing supply for the town. Works on both plants are at an advanced stage and due to complete shortly.
If an asylum seeker’s application is approved, they are then entitled to be accommodated within the community and receive whatever social housing assistance is available. Once they are accommodated elsewhere, the IPAS centre has room to house more applicants.
This is happening in a town where there are zero properties listed for rent at time of going to print.
So, how do the locals feel about the additional 20 apartments?
A gentleman who lives across from the Riverside says it’s the lack of transparency that is so unfair on locals “Our taxes are paying for all of this, and we’re not consulted on any aspect. Our elected officials are doing nothing to keep us informed,” he says.
Another local put it more bluntly. “Our politicians are useless. We’re just waiting to see how next we’ll be thrown under the bus for these asylum seekers. Nobody cares about us, we’re only the locals, the people that will be affected.”
One mother told me that her Leaving cert cycle student is struggling to keep their grades up as the teacher spends so much time helping non-nationals. “‘Why are we going to so much trouble teaching them English when they only go back to the Riverside and speak in their native tongue anyway?” she asks.
Another said ‘my child is four years on the waiting list for braces; will these new arrivals push her back on the list even further?’
On the other side of the discussion, a gentleman added that if that is the end of it, if there are no more than the 20 apartments, it should be ok, as long as there are extra doctors and teachers allocated to the area.
The local golf club had put in an objection to the planning application; They told me that the apartments will be so near to the 13th hole that one wayward ball could hit someone at the IPAS centre. It’s a health and safety issue they say.
A local estate agent says that the value of properties near this IPAS zone will be adversely affected.
Since 2021 over €5 billion has been spent on housing those fleeing their own country because of war, persecution, or for economic reasons.
Several years ago, a local developer put in an application to build a drive through restaurant on the exact same site. It was refused. He also put in an application at a later date to build 12 one-bedroom apartments and 12 two-bedroom apartments. This was also refused. Yet, the application for 20 apartments and 10 parking spaces submitted by Peppard Investments in November2024 went through.
The owners of Peppard also own several other houses in the same area, none of which seem to be occupied.
The chances of these 20 apartments being the end of the story, in my opinion, is highly unlikely.
Adrienne Acton writes from Cork