There is opposition to a planned centre for asylum seekers in the north of the county.
Locals in the village of Puckane have expressed concerns about the conversion of 12 holiday cottages for permanent residence by those seeking asylum in Ireland.
Dublin-based Double Property Group want to turn the Puckane Holiday Cottages into housing for refugees following their move into providing direct provision centres and reception centres for asylum seekers in recent years.
The holiday cottages on the shores of Lough Derg went on the market over the summer with a pricetag of €2 million.
However, this has been causing distress to locals in the area who don’t feel that the village is a suitable location for such a development.
In a statement from the Puckane Community Group they say the developer has shown”[a] complete lack of research, pitiful stakeholder engagement and ultimately a complete disregard for the ultimate wellbeing of those they are supposed to accommodate and decimation of a local community”.
Some of the concerns raised by the residents include the lack of facilities in the village, from poor public transport and to the minimal school places in the surrounding areas.
They also say the effort gone into making Puckane a tourist attraction for those visiting Lough Derg would be wasted if there was no accommodation for those looking to stay in the area.
The issue was raised by Cllr Joe Hannigan at this month’s Nenagh Municipal District meeting after he was approached by a number of worried residents.
Councillors pointed out that they are not opposed to refugees being housed in the county, citing the success of Borrisokane where refugees have been housed previously, but say this is the wrong location.
Local representatives are calling for a meeting between the developers and the residents to talk about their concerns.
