Mayo councillor claims IPAS centre will destroy north Mayo town

A NORTH Mayo councillor claimed that his home town of Crossmolina will be destroyed if an application to accommodate International Protection applicants in a local hotel is approved.

An application has been made to the International Protection Accommodation Services by the proprietor of the Dolphin Hotel in Crossmolina to repurpose the nine-room hotel which was renovated in recent years to accommodate International Protection applicants.

However, local councillor Michael Loftus told a meeting of the Ballina Municipal District that there was concern in the community at the prospect of International Protection applicants staying in the town.

“One of the biggest problems in Crossmolina is the IPA [International Protection Accommodation] proposal for the Dolphin Hotel in Crossmolina. I am really disappointed to see the proposal go forward to the department to put an IPA in that community. We are not capable of taking an IPA centre in Crossmolina and I am pleading with the Government not to approve that there. It is going to destroy the town,” claimed the Fianna Fáil councillor.

Cllr Loftus added that the north Mayo town does not have the infrastructure to deal with an influx of International Protection applicants and it has become a big issue during the election campaign in the locality.

“I don't know how many houses I have canvassed but out of the houses I have canvassed, three-quarters of them are concerned about the amount of IPA people who may be coming into Crossmolina. I can understand from a business point of view that Pat Mulhern, the owner of the Dolphin, is looking to try to get money back in relation to his development. But I can assure him that putting an IPA into Crossmolina will not help him or help our community and I hope it will not happen.”

Cllr Loftus said that it was his understanding that any application for an International Protection Centre has to be made to the local authority and he called on Mayo County Council to refuse the application.

His concerns were supported by a number of other councillors in the municipal district with Cllr John O'Hara saying he also received complaints from people in the Crossmolina community on the issue.

Fine Gael General Election candidate, Cllr Mark Duffy told the meeting that these accommodation centres have become an enterprise for people to make money.

“What frustrates a lot of people is the motivation for these developments is the profits and the motivation is not a humanitarian one. This is moving into a profit making enterprise and making money off the backs of other people's misfortune. There are people taking advantage of that system and it is frustrating. It is causing a lot of discontent among communities,” he said.

His party colleague, Killala-based councillor Jarlath Munnelly called for the exception on planning permission for these centres to be removed by the department.

“There is a lot of resentment around this because people have to go through the planning process for anything and the fact you don't have to get planning to use these centres to house refugees. I think we should write to the relevant authority to get that exemption lifted. It is making a mockery of our planning laws and if people want to come in for applications let them be judged on their merits but the fact they are exempt from the current planning rules causes resentment

“We were told when it was to be introduced it was for an emergency and that is fine but we should have figured out how to cope with it by now,” he said.