Contract for ‘winter-ready’ cabin accommodation on Stradbally Estate to begin next month

A contract for the use of a site at Stradbally Estate in Co Laois to accommodate Ukrainian refugees in cabins is to start next month.

In a briefing note sent to local politicians, the Department of Integration said the accommodation would be available from November 6th on a phased basis, with the contract running for a 32-week period. The site will have capacity for up to 950 people who are benefitting from temporary protection in the State.

The department has not ruled out other emergency accommodation centres opening across the country using cabins, saying such options “must be considered to prevent homelessness for the unprecedented numbers of people arriving seeking protection”.

A site at Stradbally Estate is from Tuesday to cease being used to provide emergency tented accommodation. At its height, over the period of six-weeks, some 500 people were staying on the site.

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The briefing note to local politicians said the “winter-ready accommodation” on Stradbally Estate consists of own-door, en-suite, heated and insulated cabins, enclosed within large heated marquee-type structures. The site will be surrounded by secure fencing.

This accommodation is to be located in an area separate to where people were staying in tents, which are to be removed once the cabins are ready, it adds. The department said Ukrainian women and children would exclusive be staying in the accommodation.

People staying there will have access to hot catered meals, an advanced paramedic and first aid service, self-service laundry facilities and outdoor recreational spaces. There will be hot water, heating and a tracked walkway all around the site, the department said.

“In order to ensure that we have sufficient capacity in the very short term, before the winter-ready cabins are made available, the department will be utilising the tented accommodation at the site for approximately two weeks leading up to the delivery of the cabins,” it said.

The accommodation will be operated by Pastures New Ltd which, the department said, has experience in large scale event development, the commercial hospitality sector and providing welfare supports to asylum communities in direct provision settings.

Independent councillor Aisling Moran accused the department of “purposely keeping the public and locals in Stradbally in the dark” about the move. She said 950 refugees arriving in Stradbally would add 70 per cent to the local population. She said a meeting of local residents about the plan was being organised.

The Government is currently providing some 97,510 people seeking refuge with State-provided or pledged accommodation and support services. This includes some 73,000 people who have fled the war in Ukraine and a further 24,000 people who are seeking international protection.

“Given the scale and urgency of the operation to source accommodation for unplanned new arrivals, manage and process them appropriately, and transfer and settle them into homes and communities, there has been a requirement to act at pace, with developments often happening at very short notice,” the department said.

“We are working to improve how new accommodation is sourced, and how these developments are communicated to local communities.”