No plans to use site in Brownstown, County Kildare, to accommodate asylum seekers
A local representative said that it is ‘important that our communities are not manipulated by people who seek to influence opinion through undue fear and prejudice’
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has said that there are no plans at present to use a site in Brownstown to accommodate asylum seekers.
A post on Facebook had made the rounds a few days ago claiming that a residential site in Brownstown would be used to house asylum seekers (also known as International Protection Applicants, or IPAs for short).
However, when asked about the allegation by the Leinster Leader, a spokesperson for the Department had this to say: “The Department can only confirm use of a premises once a contract has been signed, and will, in the first instance, inform local public representatives and statutory agencies through its Community Engagement Team.”
Suzanne Doyle, who is a local councillor, for the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District, also commented on the claim, as well as the site itself, on her official Facebook page.
Cllr Doyle, who is a member of Fianna Fáil, said: “On foot of several queries about the below property in Brownstown, I am sharing information given to me by the owner of the property that was recently purchased for conversion into residential accommodation.
“These units which include 3,2 & 1 bed units are being let individually on the private market. The units consist of 3 x 1 beds, 2 x 3 beds & 5 x 2 beds.
“I have further checked with integration Director in Council who confirmed that no property within Brownstown Curragh has been identified to be used for Refugee/Asylum seeker accommodation.”
Cllr Doyle also said: “Recent trends suggest that people outside our communities are planting suspicion and fear with misinformation, something similar happened in relation to Boland’s pub in Kildare town and other experiences around country.
“It would be helpful to find the source of this misinformation; if people could let me know where they got original information about the tenancy of this property, I would appreciate it.”
“It is important that our communities are not manipulated by people who seek to influence opinion through undue fear and prejudice,” she concluded.