Heywood Road modular homes to be allocated where possible to Ukrainians already in Clonmel

The 82 modular homes for Ukrainians being constructed on HSE lands on Clonmel’s Heywood Road will be allocated where possible to those war refugees already living in the town and locality, Tipperary County Council’s monthly meeting was informed.

That was the message Eibhlin Byrne, National Lead on Civic Engagement at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth gave to Clonmel councillors when they raised their concerns about the extra pressure an influx of new residents to live in this emergency residential development will have on local schools and GP practices.

Ms Byrne informed councillors it’s currently expected the modular homes will be occupied by their residents during June and July.

Clonmel Fianna Fáil Cllr Siobhán Ambrose had highlighted at the Council meeting how difficult it currently is to access GP care in Clonmel.

She was told of people attending Tipperary University Hospital’s emergency department when they became ill because they can’t get into a family doctors practice in the town.

She estimated there would be 164 children living in the modular homes development and asked what engagement was there with local schools.

“You can’t magic up teachers and classrooms and other supports such as SNA and language supports that may be needed.”

She said it would be very unfair both to the refugees coming from a very distressing situation in their home country and to local schools if they weren’t ready for the extra people and didn’t have capacity to take them.

“If this isn’t managed properly, it will cause chaos,” she warned.

“I would ask that nobody comes until the necessary supports are in place.”

Fine Gael Cllr Tom Acheson asked that as many of the Ukrainian refugees residing in the Clonmel area be accommodated in the modular units as possible to free up hotel rooms needed for tourism.

Mayor of Clonmel Cllr Pat English of the Workers & Unemployment Action Group said he has met a number of Ukrainians living in Clonmel and they are lovely people. He said there are opportunities for employment for them in this country with one in four businesses looking to hire new employees.

He was on the boards of management of two schools and had seen the great way Syrian refugees were welcomed and integrated into the community.

But he shared the concerns raised about school and GP resources available locally with the addition of residents from the Heywood Road modular homes development.

Ms Byrne responded that the Heywood Road modular homes was the last project of the Rapid Build Programme to accommodate Ukrainian refugees.

“In general the people who will be assigned are from as near to the area as possible. In all of the Rapid Builds, the team will be given a list of families living in any of the hotels and emergency accommodation around.”

She pointed out that the modular homes are designed to house four people so there were strict criteria that only family groups of that size could be accommodated in the units.

Ms Byrne stressed the education services have been involved in choosing the residents and situations where there are great pressures on resources in local schools were taken into account in allocating the houses. Education and welfare services are given a list of the children that would be living in the modular homes.

She said that issues with resources in communities where refugees are housed were brought to group within the Department that worked to resolve the problems.

Ms Byrne was asked about what would happen the homes after they were no longer needed by Ukrainian War refugees. She said the homes arrive on the back of lorry and can be lifted and removed from the site and used on another site with agreement made with the owner whether it was the OPW or a local authority.

Sinn Féin Cllr David Dunne suggested the modular homes be left where they are and used to house homeless Irish people.

He knew of a homeless family of four in emergency accommodation in Carrick-on-Suir who could easily be accommodated in one of them.

He pointed out that the Ukrainian crisis maybe over soon and if that was the case these modular homes may not be needed for refugees from that country.

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Ms Byrne replied that these modular homes can't be used at this point and time for homeless Irish people as the specific planning for them was for accommodating Ukrainian refugees while the Temporary Protection Directive was in place.

After the Temporary Protection Directive for people fleeing the Ukraine War has expired, the future of the housing units will be a matter for discussion at local and government level

Planning permission would have to be secured again for any future use of the houses as the permission now in place was not permanent.