Claims that a proposed halting site in the Dalkey/Killiney area of south Co Dublin would house up to 120 travellers have been firmly rejected by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
The planned halting site at Dalkey Quarry, which has met strong opposition from local people and other interested groups, would house five families in 10 or less caravans, according to the assistant county manager, Mr Liam Byrne.
Responding to claims made at a public meeting that the west quarry would be used to accommodate 120 people, he said that although the council could recommend that more families be accommodated, it did not intend to "deviate" from that figure.
Mr David Joyce, of the Irish Traveller Movement, also dismissed the claims and said five families represented about 35 people.
An estimated 400 residents from the Dalkey/Killiney area attended the meeting last week to protest at the council's plans to establish a halting site in the quarry. They have initiated a campaign to secure a Special Area Amenity Order for Dalkey/ Killiney Hill.
The quarry area, which in fact has two quarries, is popular with climbing groups and the adjoining Killiney Hill is used by walkers, runners and orienteers.
A plan for nine halting sites was adopted by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council last March. Mr Byrne said Dalkey Quarry was one of seven new sites recommended to the Housing and General Purposes Committee in May to complete the five-year programme for the accommodation of travelling people.
The approval of the council would be required before any development in the programme could take place, he said.
Under the policy approved by the council, after a programme was agreed, the design of each individual site would be subject to consultation with local residents and travellers before being considered by the housing committee.
"We have examined the site. We could put a five-bay halting site quite neatly into the second quarry without interfering with any activities in either of those quarries," said Mr Byrne.
"We will have to put in a roadway, either a separate roadway or by using an existing roadway to local houses. If local people were amenable to that, we may be able to significantly improve their access to the Ardbrugh Road."
Mr Byrne said the Traveller Accommodation Bill would impose obligations on local authorities to put forward plans to accommodate travellers over a five-year period. The legislation would give the county manager the power to decide the location of halting sites if the council failed to adopt a policy of its own.
However, halting sites persistently met strong opposition and the council had only three halting sites in its entire area, due to such opposition.
"People who support halting sites don't want them in their back yard, but we have to put them in someone's back yard," he said.
Mr Patrick Sweetman, of the Save Dalkey Hill campaign, said the Dalkey Quarry halting site was one of seven additional sites which had been put forward by the assistant county manager which had already been rejected by councillors.
The proposal had "no status whatsoever" as far as the council was concerned, he said. "This is an entirely inappropriate place to put a halting site. It is a very special amenity used by rock climbers every week," he said.