956 people have signed an online petition objecting to the creation of an IPAS accommodation centre in Dundrum House Hotel. IPAS centres provide accommodation for asylum seekers. The Hotel complex has been hosting refugees from Ukraine since 2022.
The Government recently agreed a contract with Hotel Management to accommodate 80 asylum seekers in 22 holiday homes on the hotel complex. The Department says this group will consist of women and children.
Some members of the local community in Dundrum have been staging a peaceful protest at the gates of the Hotel since May 29th. The group says its objective is to stop the creation of the IPAS centre as they fear that it will become a long term use for the entire Dundrum House Hotel as Ukrainians leave the facility.
The petition on Change.org available at this link here lists a number of concerns that the group feel should be considered by the Government in selecting Dundrum for an IPAS centre such as – Community Safety due to a lack of Garda vetting and comprehensive background checks on the arriving people, displacement of the current Ukrainian residents, a lack of transparency regarding the criteria and reasons for selecting Dundrum House Hotel, disruption to operations and enjoyment of the hotel leisure centre, bar & restaurant and golf course affecting local tourism and recreation.
The protest group in Dundrum have also set up a dedicated Facebook page under the name “No to Dundrum House Hotel IPAS Centre”.
As of Friday June 14th the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth(DCEDIY) has yet to rearrange a briefing for the local community about the planned IPAS centre. Local Public Representatives attended a briefing on June 5th but the Dundrum Group could not attend as they did not receive adequate notice, were not given an Agenda or information about who would be attending the meeting and only formally put their committee in place late on Tuesday June 4th.
