A family of travellers living in South Kilkenny has refused offers of Council houses and is demanding a group housing scheme to accommodate their members, a meeting of the Piltown Electoral Area Committee of Kilkenny County Council was told in Newrath last week.
Director of Services John McCormack said the traveller family was indigenous to County Kilkenny where they had been living for many years. Since the start of June they had been moving around the county.
“They are insisting on a group housing scheme for members of the family”, said Mr McCormack. “This is a difficult one and it will be with us for some time to come. The demand as to where they would like to live has changed in recent months”.
Complaints were made by County Councillors that traveller families in three caravans were illegally parked on the old Belview Port Road at Ferrybank.
Piltown Area Engineer Denis Lawlor said the Gardai had been informed of the illegal parking on Council property at Belview. The Council did not have a designated halting site in the area and was reluctant to go to court and put pressure on the travellers to relocate.
Cllr Eamon Aylward (FF) asked if the Council was softer than other local authorities in dealing with illegal traveller camps and impounding caravans. The residents of an estate in Ferrybank had been held to ransom by travellers and some of those might have moved ‘up the road’.
The Director of Services denied that the Council was softer than other local authorities in dealing with illegal traveller camps.
