State 'saturating' Limerick city centre with short-term asylum-seeker accommodation

Chamber chief executive Michelle Gallagher said the use of planning exemptions incentivises short-term institutional use of prime city centre buildings over long-term housing, education, or commercial projects

Chamber chief executive Michelle Gallagher: 'You cannot regenerate a city centre by saturating it with temporary profit-driven accommodation while sidelining permanent housing, students, families and commercial activity.' File picture: Brian Arthur

The State’s system for delivering asylum-seeker accommodation is pushing Limerick city centre in the wrong direction, its business leaders have warned.

Limerick Chamber issued the stark warning in a letter to housing minister James Browne and justice minister Jim O’Callaghan and called for immediate reforms of the system which uses planning exemptions to secure buildings for International Protection Accommodation Service (Ipas) accommodation.