Mayo halting site is to be redeveloped by local authority

Mayo County Council is at the initial stages of a funding application to redevelop the halting site in Castlebar.

It is the only authorised site of its kind in the county and a significant investment is expected to be made in upgrading the accommodation located off Humbert Way in the county town.

The facility has seven units on site and it is maintained to the national standards with a full-time caretaker in place.

An assessment of needs carried out in 2018 revealed a need did not exist for additional halting site accommodation in the county during the period of the council's Traveller Accommodation Programme (2019 - 2024).

The study in question stated that due to the housing crisis, Travellers are 11 times more likely to become homeless and 50 times more likely to be discriminated by landlords.

The council has drawdown €3,143,112 between 2018 and 2023 from the Traveller Accommodation capital budget, primarily on the acquisition of housing for Travellers.

In addition, the authority has drawdown capital funding relating to Covid-19 preventative measures on authorised and unauthorised halting sites during the period in question.