Athlone councillors' High Court action gets underway
Proceedings in a High Court action being taken on behalf of five Athlone councillors over the planned temporary accommodation for 1,000 asylum seekers in Lissywollen got underway on Monday of this week.
Cllr Paul Hogan is the nominated plaintiff in the legal case, which is being brought on behalf of himself and his council colleagues Frankie Keena, Aengus O'Rourke, John Dolan and newly-elected TD Kevin 'Boxer' Moran.
The councillors announced last month that they had engaged independent legal counsel and would be challenging the order made by Minister Roderic O'Gorman, to initiate the site works in Lissywollen, on environmental grounds.
In a brief update on Monday night, the Mayor of Athlone, Cllr Keena, said he expected that there would be an outcome in the case before Christmas.
"In the High Court today, Monday December 2, Judge Humphries granted permission for our plaintiff, Paul Hogan, to pursue his claims.
"The judge arranged for the case to be rapidly progressed to a full hearing on December 19. We have been assured that there will be an outcome on this day.
"For legal reasons, we have been advised not to say anything more on this matter at this stage," added Cllr Keena.
The Lissywollen development has prompted a number of protests locally over recent weeks.
Last month, the councillors stated that their action was being taken on similar grounds to a case brought by local residents in Thornton Hall over plans to accommodate up to 1,000 international protection applicants at a site in that area of north county Dublin.
A 'Go Fund Me' online fundraiser to help meet the costs of the Athlone councillors' legal action has been underway for just under a fortnight.
The five local representatives set a fundraising target of €100,000 and at the time of writing, on Tuesday morning, some €46,520 had been raised from 911 donations.
"We would sincerely like to thank the local community and business sectors for their generosity in supporting our Go Fund Me page to date," said Cllr Keena.
"Your support in continuing to share the Go Fund Me link would be greatly appreciated. For those who would prefer to lodge directly into a bank account please contact me for the relevant IBAN details. Thank you."