Men housed at Dolcain House are moved to alternative accommodation

MEN housed at Dolcain House in Clondalkin are being moved to alternative accommodation, as the pressure on the Irish government to find space for new arrivals continues to strain resources.

Dolcain House is the site of the former head office of SIAC Construction.

The block was refused planning permission for apartments last summer, but such is the pressure on the system, that 187 single males were moved into the facility last October.

Cllr Francis Timmons (Ind) raised concerns of fire safety regulations at the time of the move.

Dublin Fire Brigade subsequently confirmed they are not satisfied with fire certification arrangements in the building to allow for residential accommodation.

The Dept of Children have moved a number of the inhabitants out, and as of last Thursday told The Echo, another 88 were awaiting new accommodation.

A Dept of Children spokesperson told The Echo that Dolcain House was offered to the Dept to use as emergency accommodation and an independent inspection deemed the property safe to utilise.

The Dept said accommodation capacity at Dolcain House is for 148 International Protection applicants.

As a result of Dublin Fire Brigade’s assessment, the Dept has “committed to vacating the property as soon as is practicable given the current crisis situation faced by the State” and has already moved 60 residents.

“The Dept is working intensively to source further accommodation for those currently accommodated at Dolcain House and is in consultation with the building owners to carry out the required remedial works to address the fire certification issues,” said the Dept.

Meanwhile, the Dept said there are currently 821 IPAs accommodated in the nearby Red Cow Hotel , 71 of whom are children.

Over in Tallaght, protests are taking place, including at Cookstown Industrial Estate, where refugees are housed at a former commercial premises.

A garda spokesperson said: “On January 31, a group of people gathered peacefully at Cookstown Industrial Estate, Tallaght. The group were kept under observation by uniformed gardai and later dispersed peacefully. No offences were disclosed.

“A traffic management plan was briefly put in place to ensure the safety of those present and minimal disruption to other members of the public.”