Council makes decision on plans for Offaly direct provision centres

Permission was sought to retain use of 'Florence' house for direct provision

placeholder image — Permission was sought to retain use of 'Florence' house for direct provision

Company sought permission to continue using two houses

THE owner of direct provision centres in Tullamore has been refused permission to continue using one of the premises but has got the go-ahead to retain another for three more years.

Bridgestock Care Ltd, a Roscommon-based company whose director is Michael Gillen, owns three properties on High Street in Tullamore which are being used to accommodate refugees, Marian Hostel, a house known as Florence and house number 19 on the street.

The company sought permission from Offaly County Council to retain the use of both Florence and number 19 for the accommodation of protected persons for another three years.

Bridgestock also sought consent to replace the street-level windows and front door at Florence and the basement level windows at number 19 (pictured below) with timber heritage windows.

Florence and number 19 are opposite Marian Hostel and are separated by a house in use as a private dwelling.

All three houses on the same side of the street were built in the 1800s and are protected structures. It is believed they were designed as a block.

Council planners had previously said the existing windows at Florence were “inappropriate and detrimental to the streetscape” and though Bridgestock proposed to replace them with Munster Joinery sliding sash windows, the planners said the proposal was not suitable.

Permission was refused for both the retention of use as an accommodation centre and for the window replacements.

Bridgestock got the green light for its plans at 19 High Street but permission is limited to three years after which “the structure shall revert to its previous use as a dwelling house”.

The council asked the company why permission was being sought to continue using the houses and was told that the previous need for temporary accommodation remained and “it is foreseen that this may continue” for another three years.