Citywest Hotel expected to house Ukranian refugees
CITYWEST Hotel is expected to house Ukrainian refugees for up to two years as “advanced negotiations” are taking place between the Government and owners of the hotel as it is expected that up to 32,000 Ukrainian refugees will arrive in Ireland before Easter.
Negotiations are underway this week between the Department of Equality and the owners of the hotel, Tetrarch Capital, to finalise a deal that could see the hotel housing refugees from Ukraine for up to two years.
The 756-bed hotel was used as a self-isolation and quarantine centre for health care workers for the majority of the last two years. In March 2020, the HSE agreed to pay Tetrarch €21m for use of the property for seven months, paying an extra €1.9m for use of the convention centre, which was prepared as a 300-bed field hospital.
According to national reports this week, the Cabinet was briefed on Tuesday that the Department of Equality is now in negotiations with the owners of the hotel to use the entire complex. According to the Irish Times, insurance to cover the cost of lost revenue for the hotel due to the new deal was sought and agreed at Cabinet and is a vital part of finalising the agreement.
The Citywest Convention Centre is currently being used as an overflow facility for processing refugees to alleviate pressure on Dublin Airport at busy times.
The existing reception facility is continuing to process temporary permissions under the EU directive, issuing PPS numbers and arranging accommodation for refugees.
Cabinet also heard at the briefing that the Citywest conference centre could deal with the high volumes of arrivals efficiently, and there are plans being finalised to transfer the entire reception operation to Citywest as part of the deal.
The news comes as figures presented to the Government on Monday show that over 18,600 Ukrainian refugees have now arrived in the country, as this number is set to rise between 24,000 and 32,000 by Easter weekend next week.
Tetrarch gave no comment when requested by The Echo.
