Councillors left with more questions than answers following meeting on Thornton Hall plans

Local councillors have expressed deep concerns about the lack of clarity around plans to accommodate up to 1,000 asylum seekers at Thornton Hall following a meeting with the Community Engagement Team of the DCEDIY this week.

The hour and a half long online meeting on Wednesday saw many questions asked and concerns raised but local councillors say there were not a lot of answers given on issues that should have been dealt with before contractors ever moved into the site.

This week it was confirmed that an initial group of 40 international protection applicants are due to be accommodated in tents on the site next month, with this figure rising to 440 on a phased basis during October and November. The site is being designed to accommodate up to 1000 single men.

Transport, access to mental health services, and the impact of living in tented accommodation in a flight path, were just some of the issues raised during the meeting with Meath councillors and there was also sharp criticism over the community engagement team's failure to respond to their queries over recent months.

Speaking following the meeting, Cllr Caroline O’Reilly said: “I am really shocked with the lack of clarity from the Community Engagement Team today. I don’t feel more informed, I feel more concerned with the clear lack of preparation and consideration for the complexity of issues being faced by the local communities and by the vulnerable people seeking International Protection status. I truly believe that the Community Engagement Team will have to do a lot better.”

Cllr O’Reilly said she was advised of a meeting held with residents on 7th June with attendees promised responses to issues raised but no communication has followed other than one generic missive this week with no detailed responses.

“To date, the CET have let the residents down and now they are repeating this poor communication with the public representatives. We cannot stand for this and we must ensure that they realise that suggesting such a serious facility so close to our area means at the very least that you have to communicate properly. You need to give answers to reasonable questions or otherwise admit that you don’t know what you are doing. We cannot have such people managing such an important issue."

The local area falls in three separate Garda districts (Swords, Ashbourne and Blanchardstown) and Cllr O’Reilly queried how this area will be managed by Gardai to support the local communities and those resident at Thornton Hall. The response was that the Superindendent in Swords will be the main contact for the internal matters on site. Local garda stations will be responsible for localised issues.

She questioned whether there would be an assessment of needs about physical health, mental health and addiction she was told that the HSE would be responsible for supplying the relevant suppor and said she was concerned “they would quote a large organisation like the HSE without any clarity on which location, division, or section of this organisation is involved.”

“This is a hugely complex issue. Human beings are being placed in tented accommodation, on a site on a flight path, with no activities, with no plan for a link shuttle service to Dublin bus routes and managed by an opaque private company. These are people of varying ethnicities, cultures, religions and English language competence. Issues around physical health, mental health and addiction will naturally arise when you concentrate large numbers of people in a place like this. The potential for conflict is high with such a lack of preparation. The community engagement has been negligible. The opportunity arose tonight to clear up issues and work with community representatives. This was given lip service. I am extremely disappointed.”

Cllr Helen Meyer also raised concerns about transport and access to mental health services. "They say doctor services will be brought out but mental health is going to be a big issue for these guys, god knows what they have come from. Mental health services are close to non-existent for people living here. They are going to come in with who knows what kind of trauma and what kind of mental health services are going to be offered to them?"

Cllr Meyer said they had understood that separate transport would be provided but they have since been told that the public transport will be used. She said there are already issues with the 103 service and that adding another 1,000 men was not going to work.

She went on say that local residents were extremely upset that they moved into the site ahead of the planned community engagement meeting, and felt it was a PR exercise. Cllr Meyer also questioned why Meath councillors and Fingal councillors had separate meetings and they it couldnt have been held together and to also include Oireachtas members.

Cllr Gillian Toole said there were a lot of questions asked during 1hr 30 minute meeting and that few if any of them could be answered.

Regarding public transport, she said: "We are already asking for Bus Eireann and TII to come to our September meeting to discuss bus transport deficits in general. We were told there would be dedicated transport for people coming to Thornton Hall but it seems now it will be public transport and the 103 bus."

She spoke about the aircraft noise as the site is on a flight path and that that 80 decibels was recorded at the site, well above the 54-70 range deemed accepable.

Cllr Toole criticised the lack of "timely updates" for elected representatives and residents.

"This isn't the first IPAS centre to open, they should have a formula and they should be able to give elected representatives and residents in the vicinity more timely updates. Equipment was being moved in yesterday morning- the day of the briefing."

Cllr Toole said she didn't for one minute condone violence or criminal behaviour but that when people don't have information and they aren't treated as adults and treated respectfully by government departments and ministers, then the rumour mill takes off and you have anxiety and fear and "then if you have rent a crowd to harness that, then it turns out nasty and public order situations develop".

Separately a planned meeting for local stakeholders that was due to take place that evening organised by Empower, the local development organisation for Blanchardstown was cancelled.

Regarding that meeting, Cllr O'Reilly said DCEDIY mistakenly disclosed the email addresses of all community representatives proposed to be in attendance and that this this data protection breach was reported to the Data Protection Commissioner.

When asked why the meeting was cancelled, a spokesperson for DCEDIY said: "The Community Engagement Team decided to postpone this meeting due to a number of factors, including the fact that works at the site commenced on Wednesday, 14th August. We will reconvene a meeting with community representatives as soon as possible."