LOCAL AUTHORITY OFFICIALS are still trying to convince a group of residents to allow contractors gain access to a proposed temporary halting site to house the survivors of the Carrickmines fire.
Talks between the residents and local officials resumed at Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council this morning, breaking up shortly before 1pm with no agreement.
In a statement released afterwards the Council said “discussions and contacts” were continuing.
“All of us involved recognise the situation which exists and are working to both address the issues of concern while recognising that there is a critical need to provide accommodation and a temporary home for the survivors of last week’s tragedy,” a spokesperson said.
“The Council understands the concerns of the local residents and will introduce whatever measures are under our control to address these issues directly and promptly”.
“We are committed to using every resource available to us to address the concerns of local residents while working to ensure that a distraught family’s emergency accommodation needs arising from the tragedy at Glenamuck Road last week are addressed.”
Not consulted
The residents say they weren’t consulted about plans to house survivors of the weekend Carrickmines tragedy on their cul-de-sac at Rockville Drive.
A circular was delivered to houses shortly before a digger arrived on the street on Tuesday, and residents moved their cars to block the equipment from making progress.
Today’s statement from the Council says that today’s talks were the “third engagement with residents” adding:
“… on Tuesday each house was visited with the letter setting out the position.”
The initial talks held at the Council’s headquarters in Dun Laoghaire yesterday broke up after almost three hours with no agreement. It was later agreed fresh discussions would be held this morning.
The local authority has the option of pursuing the matter through the courts if residents don’t allow work to begin.
Glenamuck Road
The residential street is located just a few hundred metres from where ten people (five adults and five children) perished in a halting site fire off Glenamuck Road South in the early hours of Saturday.
It’s proposed 15 people left homeless as a result of the blaze be placed temporarily at the Rockville Drive site in four mobile homes while work takes place to prepare a second, permanent site nearby.
The Council has said the site will be “decommissioned” in six months.
Yesterday afternoon, residents spoke of a number of anti-social incidents in the area in recent months. A local Labour councillor, Lettie McCarthy, appealed for “calmness and common-sense” and said trust between the Council and the residents had broken down some time ago.
The Southside Traveller Action Group has called for the situation to be resolved quickly in the interests of the affected families “so that they can start to piece their lives back together”.
A group supporting the Travellers – numbering about 12 people at one point – mounted a counter-protest at the site yesterday evening.
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