Wastewater failures revealed as key barrier to redevelopment of costly Wicklow IPAS centre
The Wicklow PeopleCritical failures in wastewater treatment infrastructure prevented the State from redeveloping a former IPAS emergency accommodation site in Wicklow, ultimately leading to its closure, prolonged vacancy, and a total public cost exceeding €4.2 million.
The revelation, contained in a parliamentary reply to Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady, sheds fresh light on why the site was abandoned and why the HSE is still waiting for its return more than a year after residents were moved out.
The Department of Justice confirmed that technical and financial assessments “particularly in relation to wastewater treatment infrastructure” made it impossible to proceed with plans to repurpose the site at River Lodge in Newtownmountkenned for alternative accommodation.
This is the first time the Department has explicitly linked the site’s failure to wastewater constraints, raising questions about the suitability of the location for emergency housing and the decision to invest heavily in temporary facilities that could not be adapted for longer-term use.
River Lodge was offered as an IPAS centre by the HSE in February 2024 as the State scrambled to find emergency accommodation for rising numbers of international protection applicants. The site was rapidly converted into a tented facility with capacity for 96 residents, opening in early May 2024.
However, the infrastructure underpinning the site, particularly wastewater treatment, was never capable of supporting more permanent or expanded accommodation. The Department’s admission that wastewater limitations halted redevelopment raises the possibility that the site was always constrained, even before the State spent more than €555,000 establishing it as an emergency centre.
The wastewater issue also explains why the Department ultimately abandoned efforts to redesign the site after residents were evacuated in December 2024. Severe weather forced the closure of the tented facility that month, and the site has remained empty ever since.
Despite being unused for more than a year, River Lodge has not yet been handed back to the HSE. The Department says “minor works” are required before the transfer can take place, latest timelines suggest these will take place sometime this year. The HSE, which originally offered the site to IPAS, has been waiting for its return since the end of 2024.
The delay has drawn scrutiny from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which has questioned why the site remains under the Department’s control and why costs have continued to accumulate long after the accommodation ceased operating.
The information obtained by Deputy Brady provides the first full breakdown of costs associated with River Lodge. The State spent €2.8 million in 2024 and €1.43 million in 2025, covering site establishment, utilities, accommodation services, and security.
The largest single cost in 2024 was €1.86 million for accommodation and services. In 2025, after the site had already been vacated, security became the dominant expense, reaching €1.3 million for the year.
Wicklow Sinn Féin TD and chair of the Public Accounts Committee John Brady.
The Department confirmed that security remains in place “while the transfer to the HSE is completed.” A review of security services in February 2026 identified “efficiencies” that resulted in cost savings, though no details were provided on why costs had escalated so dramatically in the preceding year.
The documents also reveal that the State spent €21,856 on wastewater services in 2024, a figure that appears modest compared to other costs, but underscores the site’s infrastructural limitations. The Department’s statement that wastewater treatment was a decisive factor in halting redevelopment suggests that the existing system could not support expanded or alternative accommodation models.
Deputy Brady has previously criticised the Government for what he described as “chaotic” management of emergency accommodation and has called for greater transparency in IPAS spending.
With redevelopment ruled out and residents removed, the State continued to spend more than €1.3 million on security in 2025 alone. The Department maintains that security is required until the site is returned to the HSE.