High Court order quashing Athlone IPAS fast-track process takes effect

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The High Court order quashing the fast-track process used to establish the Athlone IPAS centre took effect last month, after a four-month stay. The case has formally ended in the councillors’ favour. The centre’s accommodation structures have been dismantled and its remaining residents relocated.

The final order followed a successful challenge by four Athlone councillors to the statutory instrument used to bypass the standard planning process. The High Court had earlier ordered it quashed after the State conceded the challenge; the court’s ruling concerned failures in environmental screening and assessment of the project.

The councillors say their current priority is full reinstatement of the OPW-owned site at Lissywollen. They report that hard standing, pipework, drainage, utilities, fencing, temporary roads and earthworks remain, and say they are working with Westmeath County Council on restoration, with enforcement action possible if needed.

After a meeting with Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan, the councillors said he had no plans to open an IPAS centre in Athlone and no intention of opening new centres nationally. They said they were satisfied that a new Athlone centre was off the table. Separately, the Department of Justice said legislation was being developed to support updated planning arrangements for the site and other State-owned sites.