Councils plan swift move on illegal halting site

Both local authorities will be “taking action” on the illegal Traveller halting site at Carrowbrowne after Christmas.

The County Council’s Chief Executive said the matter will be dealt with “quite quickly” in the coming weeks.

It is understood that the thirteen families at the 15-bay site will be forced to move to another site.

The move comes as the Planning Appeals Board ruled the site is unsuitable for prolonged human settlement.

Last year, the City Council sought planning permission from the County Council for the continued use of the temporary halting site on the Headford Road for two years.

At the moment, there are three sites on the Headford Road, two of which are unauthorised.

The county refused permission for the retention, and the matter was subsequently appealed, with An Bord Pleanála upholding the refusal last week.

The matter was raised at a meeting of the County Council by councillors Jim Cuddy (Ind) and Mary Hoade (FF), who said the halting site was illegal and the local authority needed to take action.

Chief Executive Kevin Kelly replied: “Action is to be taken by us and the City Council, we expect it will be progressing quite quickly after the Christmas period.”

The City Council had told An Bord Pleanála: “[We have] actively sought to meet the specific accommodation needs of the residents at the temporary halting site. The limited timeframe for the existing halting site has been a constraint along with refusal to accept alternative accommodation by the residents at the temporary site and their requirement for relocation together as a single group.”

The Board’s Senior Planning Inspector, Jane Dennehy, recommended that a two-year permission be granted on the grounds that it would allow time for alternative accommodation to be provided.

However, the Board disagreed, ruling that exceptional circumstances did not prevail.