A group of around 20 protestors are preventing modular homes being installed in the north Westmeath village of Coole.
Last night up to 60 local residents staged a protest outside the complex to prevent access for lorries, cranes and modular homes.
A spokesperson for the group said that at around 4am a convoy of more than 15 lorries carrying modular homes along with four lorries containing equipment and two large cranes were driven to the site.
Today, 20 members of the Coole Concerns group remain at the site and continue to block the entrance of a site in the village in a bid to prevent the installation of 18 large modular homes.
The site is located next to the Coole Court development where around 100 international protection applicants have been living since late last year.
Efforts to begin offloading the modular homes have been hampered by the protestors who have been camped at the site since earlier this week.
Last week Westmeath County Council issued an enforcement notice to the owner of Coole Court, who also owns the adjacent site, after receiving a number of complaints relating to groundworks being undertaken to facilitate the installation of modular homes.
Local TDs Peter Burke and Robert Troy both say that they have received assurances from the Department of Integration and Minister Roderic O’Gorman that there are no plans to house additional international protection applicants in the village and that no agreement has been made with the developer.
Gardaí are at the scene of the protest and An Garda Síochána have said that any garda response “in relation to evolving events is in keeping with a community policing model and graduated policing response taking into account relevant legislation and public safety, primarily to ensure peace and public order is maintained, and no criminal offence is committed.”
