Latest news with #Saggart
BreakingNews.ie
8 hours ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Citywest Hotel sale: Two protests planned on Sunday by residents group
Two protests by a residents group are to take place on Sunday outside the former hotel and conference centre Citywest and in Dublin city centre. The protests, the fifth by the Stop Citywest Hotel Purchase group, are aimed at highlighting residents' opposition to the Government's planned multimillion euro purchase of Citywest hotel in Dublin as accommodation for international protection applicants. Advertisement The Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan, announced on Tuesday that the Cabinet approved the purchase of the site for €148.2 million. Mr O'Callaghan's announcement came after several months of negotiations and disquiet among the local Citywest community. A spokesperson for the group posted on social media outlined that they are 'calling on supporters from other counties to join us in a strong show of unity' for a peaceful protest outside Citywest Hotel. The first protest is to take place at 2pm from the Garden of Remembrance at Parnell Square through the city centre and the second at 6.30pm in Saggart village. Advertisement The group is also planning another vehicle protest next week in Mr O'Callaghan's constituency. The Minister highlighted that owning the hotel and conference centre, rather than leasing it, would provide great 'value for money' and long-term saving for the State. He added: 'In a sector that has seen extremely high costs in recent times, purchasing Citywest makes prudent financial sense for the State compared to costs of leasing the site. "The purchase represents a payback period to the State of approximately four years, and over 25 years, the purchase and operating cost model offer savings of more than €1 billion, while delivering a permanent State asset.' Advertisement Mr O'Callaghan said he is 'committed' to reforming Ireland's international protection system to ensure its efficiency and robustness. He noted that a 'stable and sustainable accommodation network' is a central element of that reform. The hotel has been used to accommodate Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers since 2022. The site has the capacity to accommodate up to 2,300 people. It was first used by the State as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Legal action is also being considered by the Stop Citywest Hotel Purchase residents group also based in Saggart. The group held a drive slow protest on the N7 last Friday and a protest outside the Dáil last Wednesday. Advertisement A spokesperson for the group claims that the government's decision to purchase Citywest Hotel and convert it into a permanent refugee centre will have an 'irreversible effect on our village'. Ireland Government to buy Citywest Hotel for €148.2 millio... Read More The spokesperson continued: 'Such an action will not only strain local infrastructure and resources but also place significant stress on both the existing and newly arrived' people. 'Both groups are likely to suffer from inadequate integration efforts, which are essential for fostering mutual understanding and harmony.' The group pointed out that 'transforming such a significant local landmark into a permanent centre is affecting local businesses reliant on tourism and disrupting the quiet ambiance many of us value. It is causing challenges in community integration and our security.' They claim the move will place a burden on public services, such as education, healthcare, and transportation, and that they 'have seen very little help from the Government'.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
‘This isn't about race or colour. This is about our community': Locals protest at sale of Citywest Hotel
Approximately 100 residents from the Saggart area staged a protest against the sale of the Citywest Hotel to the Government for permanent use as asylum seeker accommodation. It was the third night of protests outside the hotel which the Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan has said will now be purchased by the State for €148 million. On Friday residents staged a convoy through the village passing Citywest. They escalated it to a peaceful protest outside the gates on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. The 764-bed hotel and conference centre has been leased by the State since 2020. It was initially used as a Covid-19 testing and vaccination centre before, in 2022, being converted to an accommodation and processing facility for asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees. READ MORE Locals claim to have gathered more than 8,000 signatures going door-to-door in Saggart, Rathcoole and Citywest. 'Ninety per cent of the doors we called to signed that petition. It shows that 90 per cent of people in the areas around here do not want this,' said Amanda Higgins. Locals say Saggart has doubled in size since 2011 and the population went up by 46 per cent in the census between 2016 and 2022, but it does not have the facilities to cope with demand. The village has one pub, two restaurants and no hotel, a small Dunnes Stores and a small Centra. They fear they will lose access on the Citywest site to the gym and swimming pool, though the Government has stated that those facilities will remain open to the public. One woman said there is a large Indian community living locally which is supporting the protests on the basis that the permanent loss of the amenity will be detrimental to all residents. 'This isn't about race or colour. This is about our community. We are making a stand together,' she said. [ State to purchase Citywest hotel for €148m and use it as asylum seeker accommodation Opens in new window ] Mia Colgan said locals accepted its status as a Covid-19 centre, then as a centre for processing Ukrainian refugees and its current status as both an International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centre and a place for Ukrainian refugees. But they would not accept the permanent loss of the hotel as a facility for the local community without any other hotel locally. 'We were told we were going to get this and going to get that. It has never transpired. They had a duty of care to the residents and they have not discharged it,' she said. 'Now they are saying five years down the road when they want to take the hotel out forever out of the public amenities, now we will discuss it with you. It's too little too late. 'We are asking for dignity for everybody and for the Government to do their job. The Government is not being transparent. It is riding roughshod over everybody.' She queried why the State was paying €148 million for Citywest when it was sold by Nama for €30 million in 2013.
BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Government to buy Citywest Hotel for €148.2 million
The Government has approved the purchase of the Citywest Hotel and convention centre for €148.2 million, the Justice Minister has said. Jim O'Callaghan said that it would be 'far cheaper' to own the facility in west Dublin instead of paying private providers for the services and accommodation. Advertisement He said it would be used as a screening centre where applications for asylum will be processed. He said it was in line with the commitment in the programme for government to own 14,000 accommodation units for asylum seekers. He said there are no 'immediate' plans to expand the number of places at Citywest, which is currently being used as a reception centre for asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees. 'Over a period of four years, we believe we'd be in the position where we would have got our money back in terms of the investment. Advertisement 'Over a longer period of time, if you compare what we're spending in the private sector from the amount of money we'll be spending in terms of a state-owned entity, over a period of about 25 years, we'll be looking at a saving of €1.25 billion.' Locals from Saggart protested outside Leinster House last week over government plans to buy the Citywest facility. They raised concerns about losing the amenity of the hotel complex and about demand for services. Minister of State Colm Brophy said that local representatives would be engaged with so that the local community are informed. Advertisement He said the decision was being made on a 'value for money' basis and that if it is directly owned by the State, it can save around 50 per cent of the operating costs. 'Very importantly, the purchase of Citywest will not result in any immediate increase in numbers,' he said. 'The plan with Citywest is very simply, to develop the asset and make sure that we have the ability, particularly under the Migration Pact, to have a state-of-the-art processing facility whereby people's applications can be cleared within 13 weeks from when they arrive in the country.' He added: 'Citywest has actually been working very effectively in terms of having an Ipas centre there, having Ukrainians also present, and having a range of services and facilities which have been working effectively and successfully for many, many years. Advertisement 'We are not planning on changing those numbers.'
BreakingNews.ie
13-06-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Major disruption expected due to protest over govt plans to purchase Citywest hotel
Major disruption is expected on the N7 on Thursday afternoon due to a protest over government plans to purchase Citywest hotel in Dublin to increase international protection applicants' accommodation. A vehicle rollout protest by the Stop Citywest Hotel Purchase residents group based in Saggart has been organised for 3:15pm. Advertisement A portion of the hotel located in Dublin is already being used by the government to provide housing for IPAs, and the move would see 1,000 people being able to be accommodated there. It has been reported that the hoped for expansion could cost the state €100 million if purchased. The current owners of Citywest received €51 million from the State for the first nine months of last year for use of the facility. The hotel is the biggest in the country. The government has pledged to cease using private accommodation for such applicants replacing it with State owned facilities. Advertisement This afternoon's action, which is expected to disrupt heavy weekend traffic, follows a peaceful protest outside the Dáil last Wednesday. The moving car protest will involve a loop of Saggart village surrounding the hotel and will then continue across three lanes of the N7 to Naas in Co Kildare where it will end. Over the past number of days the residents group have been involved in slow driving protests around the local Saggart area A group spokesperson explained that the 'government's decision' to purchase Citywest Hotel and convert it into a permanent refugee center will have an 'irreversible effect on our village'. Advertisement The spokesperson continued: 'Such an action will not only strain local infrastructure and resources but also place significant stress on both the existing and newly arrived populations. Both groups are likely to suffer from inadequate integration efforts, which are essential for fostering mutual understanding and harmony.' The spokesperson highlighted that the group is fighting to 'reclaim' what they view as their local amenities and save their leisure center, gym, and restaurant, which are part of the Citywest Hotel complex. '(These) are likely to close with the purchase. We want our convention center back so it can again host events. 'Furthermore, transforming such a significant local landmark into a permanent center is affecting local businesses reliant on tourism and disrupting the quiet ambiance many of us value,' the spokesperson noted. 'It is causing challenges in community integration and our security. It is placing a burden on our public services, such as education, healthcare, and transportation, and we have seen very little help from the government for our village'.
