Residents of a North Leitrim Village have expressed their confusion over a High Court judgement that cleared the way for the redevelopment of a former hotel into refugee accommodation. The High Court's rejected Leitrim County Council's move to block the development at the former Abbey Manor Hotel - and says work can now 'go ahead'. Local residents held protests in the village last November saying existing services would be stretched to the limit with the placement of 155 asylum seekers. In a letter sent to Taoiseach Simon Harris and Minister for Integration Roderick O'Gorman, concerned locals have highlighted what they brand as inconsistencies in the judgement.
They say the legal exemption used to allow the development stated that the property was a hotel, with a further element of Mr Justice Richard Humphreys' judgement stating that it was not currently an operating hotel. The letter was penned by a group calling itself 'The Concerned Citizens of Dromahair' and ended by calling for clarification from the Department. Local Independent TD Marian Harkin has urged Government to engage with the community as a matter of urgency:
