Flaherty pours cold water on plans for modular housing on former Longford greyhound track
Mounting speculation Longford's former greyhound track will be utilised as an emergency accommodation site in which to house Ukrainian refugess has been emphatically dismissed by Longford-Westmeath TD Joe Flaherty.
The Fianna Fáil TD said any suggestion moves to erect dozens of modular homes on the Park Road site were wide off the mark with talks still very much in its exploratory stages.
Mr Flaherty backed what local politicians have repeatedly enforced surrounding a long held belief that the location remain zoned solely for recreational purposes.
And, in a further revelation, the Lanesboro native said it was his own personal view that none of the proposed sites for modular housing were suitable as prospective locations in which to cater for displaced Ukrainian refugees.
In echoing calls and the rubberstamping for the greyhound track to become the new home for a local skate park facility, Mr Flaherty said murmurings of up to 40 modular homes coming on stream could cost in the region of €7m.
"The Department (of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth), through the OPW, hasn’t progressed its plans beyond those preliminary drawings and I would make the point that construction work is already underway on modular schemes for International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) in Cavan and Monaghan," he said, adding the units were being manufactured at a premises in Longford town.
"It’s the stated intention of all elected members that the greyhound site will be retained as an amenity site – incorporating the aforementioned skate park and access to the canal.
"A personal opinion is that none of the three sites – greyhound track, Connolly Barracks or Dempsey’s field would be suitable for modular houses.
"All three locations are critical to the future development of the town and plans for modular accommodation in any of these three locations would effectively eliminate the three locations from the town’s future development plans."
Mr Flaherty also confirmed Cllr Peggy Nolan's insistence earlier on that local councillors are due to hold talks with OPW chiefs over the coming days.
He said that meeting is scheduled for Monday week (December 12), stressing however that moves to fast-track the greyhound track as a modular housing site were premature to say the least.
"Any suggestion of plans for modular housing on the greyhound track being advanced or finalised is not correct," he said.
"I look forward to all elected members getting to state their views directly to the OPW / Dept DEDIY on Dec 12th.
"I do believe that the concerns of the wider community will be heard and taken on board at this meeting."