A former psychiatric hospital in the Shannonside region has been ruled out as a location for refugee housing in the short term.
St Loman's Hospital in Mullingar was shut in 2013, with the remaining services transferred to a new site, while two mental health units currently remain operating in the campus.
In a statement last week, the HSE announced they were in discussion with Westmeath County Council over the possibility of the site being used to house refugees.
Following an appraisal of the site by the local authority, the main building was found to be unsuitable for use in housing those fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Local TD Robert Troy says the time and cost of restoring the buildings mean the campus will not be used at this time.
'That building itself was deemed not suitable for a variety of reasons but the Saint Bridget's unit on the saint Lomans campus was deemed suitable. However, the costs that would be associated with bringing it back into use and the theme that it would take, it is not on the agenda currently. It is something that remains under consideration if the numbers coming into Ireland increase.'
