Three plaintiffs who unsuccessfully sought an injunction against a proposed IPAS accommodation centre at the former Crown Paints site in Coolock have been ordered to pay the State and Dublin City Council’s costs of that failed application.
In a costs ruling delivered on 15 January 2026, Mr Justice David Holland also awarded the proposed developers, referred to collectively as Townbe, 60% of their interlocutory costs.
The underlying proceedings had been brought by Alan Croghan, Amanda Farrelly and Melissa Kelly in an attempt to prevent development of the former factory as accommodation for international protection applicants.
Their injunction application was refused in October 2024. The court had held that the legal bases relied upon — the EU precautionary principle and the Aarhus Convention — did not disclose a stateable case for the relief sought.
The State later abandoned the Coolock project in May 2025. That decision caused the proceedings to become moot, and the High Court ultimately struck out the entire case without deciding the underlying claims.
On costs, Mr Justice Holland held that the State defendants and Dublin City Council were presumptively entitled to their injunction costs because they had completely succeeded on that application.
Townbe’s position was different. During the 2024 injunction hearing, counsel had told the court on Townbe’s instructions that no external roof works were intended. A later affidavit established that approximately half of the external roof surface had in fact always been intended for removal.
The judge described that earlier information as false and untrue, while expressly clearing counsel of blame. To mark the court’s disapproval, Townbe’s recovery was reduced to 60% of its injunction costs.
Melissa Kelly separately sought her costs of the wider proceedings because the IPAS project was abandoned. That application was refused. The judge found the Minister’s decision was probably influenced by wider political and local factors and that the litigation may have played only a lesser part.
There was no other order as to costs.