Communication key to helping refugees settle
CLLR Michael Sheehan raised concerns about a disconnect between Wexford and Kilkenny County Councils which saw 14 and not ten refugee families allocated housing in the New Ross.
Cllr Sheehan questioned the level of communication between the Piltown and New Ross municipal districts, drawing members’ attention to a housing estate in Rosbercon where Kilkenny County Council bought houses. He said tenants were displaced and new tenants, Syrian refugees, were given the houses.
‘Quite a stir was created in New Ross where people were being turned out of their houses and replaced by other people. Can we have a commitment that when the council are acquiring, whether single or multiple properties in New Ross, that we be informed as it makes it easier for us to explain why.’
Cllr Melissa O’Neill said three to four Syrian families are housed in every small town.
Cllr Sheehan said tenants in Rosbercon were thrown out ‘ on to the road’ and other tenants were put into their houses.
Cllr O’Neill said often the tenants are in houses owned by private landowners who choose to sell their homes. She said the same situation arose in Ferrybank where there are 2,000 people on the housing list, adding that the money spent on their houses comes from specific funding for refugees.
‘ The tenants would have received notice from their own landlords and we then acquired housing. We had four families who were put into one estate and they fitted in fantastically well. There were some neighbours who were upset but they went out and welcomed them and hopefully they will welcome them here also.’
Cllr Willie Fitzharris asked if New Ross and Robsercon are classified as two different urban areas and was told that they are.
‘Wexford County Council have housed ten Syrian families in New Ross and Kilkenny County Council have housed four families in Rosbercon.
‘ That is 14 families and other towns like Wexford have ten. I am amazed we have broken them in two. It’s national policy and I’m not suggesting that Kilkenny are doing anything improper.’
Cllr O’Neill said the Syrian families have settled in well. ‘Language is obviously going to be a barrier. They are getting full-time English classes. They are very highly educated teachers, nurses and doctors and they will be going out to work here. We haven’t had any issues.’
Cllr Fitzharris said: ‘It sounds very much like there is a duplication of services here. There is an obvious benefit for the Syrians to be living close to one another.’
Cllr Michael Whelan said: ‘ We are all very welcoming of the situation and of the connection between Wexford and Kilkenny and hopefully it will all work out. There needs to be better communication when it comes to dealing with housing in New Ross. The town of New Ross has 14 families coming in, we don’t want to change that but at least going forward we need more communication coming in.’
He called on housing officials in Kilkenny to alert their counterparts in Wexford about anything that may have an impact on the townspeople of New Ross.
Director of Services for Planning with Kilkenny County Council Sean McKeown said: ‘ This is national policy in relation to the resettlement of Syria refugees and Kilkenny County Council has a responsibility to them.’
He said a multi-agency response is involved, adding: ‘I understand that there is fairly constant communication between the two neighbouring councils. It doesn’t happen in a haphazard fashion; it happens in a planned fashion.’
Cllr Sheehan said the first he knew of it was when tenants who had been given notice appeared at his clinic. ‘ These are people who are working. They are taxpayers. We are in the middle of a housing crisis. It’s practically impossible for anyone, even on a decent working wage, to find accommodation.
‘Refugees are coming in and we couldn’t get a clear answer from any official on this. We should be careful that we are not throwing families out onto the street as they won’t get accommodation, even on a HAP plan.’
Cllr O’Neill said Kilkenny County Council hasn’t thrown any tenant out on the street.
‘As a matter of policy Kilkenny County Council will not buy a house if it will make someone homeless. This is where private landlords sell their house; the tenants mightn’t even be on a housing list. Private landlords sell their houses every day of the week. Just because a Syrian family goes into it that shouldn’t mean there is an issue.’
New Ross Municipal Cathaoirleach Cllr John Fleming said the council only goes in to houses where there is a vacant occupancy.
‘What is the difference between someone getting 30 days notice and someone getting a house 31 days later?’ Cllr Sheehan argued.
Cllr Fitzharris said New Ross has 14 Syrian families by virtue of having a boundary with Kilkenny at its edge.
‘We have two different groups within one mile of each other. I would have to question the national body who advised this for one town.
‘ They are completely separated and they have completely different set of supports. Great work is being done but they have created a division in this town in terms of services,’ he said.
Cllr Pat Dunphy said all towns which border neighbouring counties have had additional Syrian families allocated them, including in Piltown and Carrick-on-Suir.
Mr McKeown said: ‘ Communication seems to be an issue. Perhaps we should be doing a better job.’
It was agreed that housing officials from both councils attend the next meeting of the councils in early October, along with a refugee liaison officer from Kilkenny.
Cllr Tomás Breathnach said: ‘ Three areas need improving: communication, coordination of services and optimisation of our resources.’ THE Albatros site on the outskirts of New Ross has huge scope for development, the meeting heard.
A meeting is planned for this autumn with its owners, Thomas McDonagh & Sons of Galway, to discuss possible uses for the 60 acre site upon which a fertiliser plant was previously located. The vast majority of the old plant’s steel mega structures have been knocked and councillors praised Matt Jennings of McDonagh’s for staying true to his word to clear the site.
New Ross district director Eamonn Hore said he met with Mr Jennings in December 2012 and received a letter two months later in which the company director committed to spend €150,000 that year on site clearance works and further money over the following four years to reinstate the site. ‘ The demolition works were completed within a few weeks of the five year deadline and the site is hugely improved,’ Mr Hore said.
He said Mr Jennings has been dealing with both Wexford and Kilkenny county councils. ‘After a difficult start he did stick to his word. He is very interested in meeting with both local authorities about the future of the site which will become a very valuable site as you will have access to a road which will have a lot less traffic on it.’
Cllr Fidelis Doherty of Glenmore said there may be an opportunity to have on site parking for Kilkenny greenway users entering New Ross town. ‘ The greenway can link in with the Rosslare to Waterford greenway. I would welcome the opportunity for him to meet with the both of us. We can discuss its possible uses which could include a public realm space of housing.’
Mr Hore said the entire site on both the Kilkenny and Wexford sides is zoned for mixed use so there are numerous possibilities open to whoever buys the site.
Cllr Michael Sheehan said €1 billion has been announced to fund the development of rural town centres across the country. ‘We should be developing an area action plan so that when the funding is announced and finalised we have a plan. We need to have a clear vision of what we want otherwise we will end up with lots and lots of warehouses which will not serve the town or area any good.’
Cllr Willie Fitzharris said the site’s location makes it very valuable, while Piltown Cllr Sean Breathnach said the debate on what future uses the site can have exemplifies the importance