Ballina hotel to house families seeking International Protection
The Twin Trees Hotel, Ballina
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth have said that 120 beds are to be provided for International Protection Applicants in the Twin Trees Hotel on Downhill Road, Ballina.
The Western People has seen official correspondence from the Department’s Community Engagement Team confirming the news.
The Department has said that intended accommodation within the hotel is for 120 people in 33 bedrooms and this accommodation will be for families of international protection applicants.
They said that the agreement does not include all 68 of the hotel’s bedrooms and therefore, it will still be trading for private guests to book rooms.
Cllr Mark Duffy said it was disappointing that local representatives are only officially hearing about this now.
“It’s very disappointing that we hear this information on the eleventh hour without having input from public representatives at this point, the decision and the autonomy is being taken out of our hands.”
“What people find difficult to take is the lack of emergency accommodation for our own people who are struggling in this area. I recently tried to help a person who fell on hard times in this area and the only available accommodation for them was in Ballinrobe.”
“The lack of input and communication from the Department to local representatives is totally unacceptable. I think the profiteering is also something that is totally unacceptable. The government came out with a lot of communication that there was going to be a strategy and lesser reliance on tourist accommodation and then very quickly after, hotels in Ballina are being used for provision of International Protection.”
