No provision made for horses
NEW Traveller Accommodation Programme (2009-2013), must be passed by Limerick City Council before April 30, and it is proposed to close both Toppins Field and Rhebogue sites.
This is in accordance with a directive from the Minister for the Environment that all local authorities adopt new, amended accommodation programmes for their respective Traveller community.
A draft programme for Limerick city was completed for the period 2009-2013 and has now been amended to include a submission received from the Department of the Environment. The closing date for receipt of submissions was January 5, and the only submission received was from the Traveller Unit of the Department of the Environment.
At a meeting of City Council the amended Traveller Accommodation Programme was adopted.
There are seven halting sites in Limerick city – Clonlong Group Housing scheme, Rhebogue Group Housing scheme, Ennis Road (permanent halting site), Childers Road (permanent halting site), Toppins Field (permanent), Bawney’s Bridge (permanent), Long Pavement (temporary site).
With reference to the ongoing problem of wandering horses and unlicensed horses in the city, the council states that it will not include the provision of accommodation for horses in any proposals for Traveller accommodation.
“It is our view that horses are the responsibility of the owner and as such, it is for the owner to arrange suitable accommodation – the council will implement the provisions of the Control of Horses Act,1996”.
While the council’s draft programme was proposed and seconded by Cllrs Diarmuid Scully and Jim Long, Cllr Kieran O’Hanlon said that in relation to the Traveller site at Rhebogue, “a lot of money has been spent on refurbishing it and it’s a complete failure.
“It was agreed to phase out this as soon as possible and we must now go about providing alternative accommodation to the Travellers there,” he said.
“I had hoped – and as a councillor, tried hard to see this site work, but it’s a complete failure, with a lot of undesirable and dodgy activities being run there,” he told the meeting.
Repeating an observation he has frequently made, Cllr Ger Fahy, said the Toppins Field site is totally unsuitable and should be closed down.
“A lot of good money has been spent trying to improve it but the site is subject to ongoing dumping and vandalism and it must be closed down.”
Currently there are five households residing in Toppins Field, and a sixth family residing on the roadside near the site.
“In the past, the residents have refused two offers from the council for group housing on site and have stated their desire to find alternative accommodation on an individual basis,” the Traveller Accommodation Programme states.
With regard to the site at Rhebogue, residents were in discussion with City Hall officials and Ward councillors frequently over the past five years in attempts to identify alternative housing In an area of their choice The council states it will continue to engage with the Travellers to identify suitable units of accommodation, taking into consideration the future family formations in identifying that accommodation.
Travellers are being encouraged to avail of other accommodation options to halting sites.
“While recognising that Travellers are a distinct minority group, some of whom maintain a nomadic lifestyle, the options available to them include: rented social housing, private ownership, private rented accommodation, tenant purchase, shared ownership, improvement works for disabled persons, Traveller specific accommodation: sale of sites.
A survey conducted in March 2008 identified 72 Traveller families residing within the Limerick city boundary area. Five families (39 individuals) were residing in five bays at Toppins Field: Nine families (37 individuals) in eight bays at Bawney’s Bridge: 10 families (48 individuals) in 10 bays at Childers Road: 19 families (83 individuals) in 16 bays and three houses: Six families (26 individuals) in 10 bays and four houses at Lansdowne: 17 families (81 individuals) in 17 bays at Long Pavement: Six families (17 individuals) in six houses.
The targets for the new 2009-13 Programme are the provision of: three units of group housing this year: three in 2010, six in 2011, seven in 2012 and 8 in 2013.
House Purchase – none this year: two next year and two for the years, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
In Toppins Field, the number of children from babyhood to 18, is 25: in Bawney’s Bridge is 9, Childers Road, 23, Clonlong, 24, Lansdowne, 16, Long Pavement, 39 and Rhebogue, seven.
The number of children aged between 13 and 18 is as follows: Toppins Field, seven: Bawney’s Bridge, five: Childers Road, seven: Clonlong, eight: Lansdowne, five: Long Pavement, 14, Rhebogue, five. Responding to the councillors, Mr Lehane said the council “will be moving along the lines of closing Rhebogue and Toppins Field sites,
