REPORT: IRELAND IPAS ASYLUM SITE RAN 5 YEARS WITHOUT PLANNING — FOI SHOWS NO RECORD BEFORE 2024

An Irish report says Setanta House in Ardee housed asylum applicants under IPAS since 2019 without any planning application or recorded exemption until late 2024, when a retrospective exemption was granted. FOI replies indicate the council had no correspondence or records showing pre-2024 planning status or contract evidence from the Department of Justice/IPAS. The article links the case to a Comptroller & Auditor General audit that found widespread lack of planning permissions or exemptions across sampled IPAS centres, suggesting systemic governance and compliance failures. It calls for greater transparency and enforcement around asylum accommodation contracting and oversight.